Vettel relying on rivals

Vettel relying on rival data after Singapore crash

Joas van Wingerden

Friday 14 September 2018 16:53

Sebastian Vettel admitted he will be forced to learn from studying his rivals after collecting no long-run data in second practice for the Singapore Grand Prix due to a collision with the wall. Vettel spent the majority of the session parked in the garage, with what appeared to be coolant leaking from his Ferrari.

Vettel crashed out of this race on the opening lap last year in the rain and the prospect of another wet start at Marina Bay on Sunday ensures the German will once again be under the microscope.

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Errors have routinely held Vettel back in 2018 and he must find consistency swiftly if he is to overhaul Lewis Hamilton's 30-point lead in the drivers' championship.

Although Vettel remains confident that his missed time on Friday will not hinder his prospects, his assessment that Red Bull are set to enter the mix alongside Mercedes means his mistakes must stop immediately.

"By now I think we have good experience reading into the others, what they did and so on, and reading into their runs with tyres, which obviously will be key for Sunday," Vettel told Sky Sports.

"But we can recover, I think, most of it tomorrow.

"It is very close I think with all the three teams.

"Red Bull is a bit closer, especially in the long run, they looked quick so we'll see.

"I think we won't really know before Sunday but obviously here the quali's important so we'll see where we are tomorrow."

VIDEO: Vettel hits the wall in Singapore practice
VIDEO: Scary moment for Hamilton and Vettel in FP2