Getting a good start in US GP will be ‘crucial’ - Vettel

Ferrari Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel says ensuring he gets a good start in the United States Grand Prix will be his “main target”.

Vettel was pipped to pole position in Austin by Valtteri Bottas, with the Mercedes driver turning in a lap just 0.012s faster in Q3.

After narrowly being beaten to pole, Vettel is determined to beat Bottas off the line and claim his second victory of the 2019 season. No driver has ever won at COTA from lower than second on the grid. 

Speaking about the uphill run to Turn 1, the German said: “It’s not that long and part of it is uphill, but we will see.

“I hope to have a good start off the line, which will be crucial, and then we will see where it takes.

“Obviously all of us are on the Medium tyre, so nobody has an advantage there and then it’s a long race.

“We will have a busy race. The first lap for sure is important but there is a lot of racing after that.

“They say we have more power so probably it helps if it’s uphill, because you need more power but it’s not an awful long way,” he added.

“We will all try to have a good start and then you go from there. That’s the main target. I think the uphill bit doesn’t change so much.”

Bottas needs to win the race to have any chance of further delaying Lewis Hamilton’s quest to seal his sixth world title but the Finn knows that even if he is victorious, a top eight finish for Hamilton will be enough to wrap up the 2019 crown in the US. 

Asked about his tactics for the start with Bottas potentially being cautious due to having the title on the line, Vettel joked: “I don’t know, I’ll just pass him and then we’ll see what happens!

“If he’s thinking about it then I have a good chance. We’ll see. Obviously it’s a long race. The first lap is important but we have a lot of laps after that. But if I can pass him, I pass him.”