Vettel "fighting" Aston Martin in Portuguese GP practice

Sebastian Vettel declared himself "less comfortable" in his Aston Martin during Friday practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix practice due to him "fighting" the car to overcome the difficult conditions.

The four-time champion's start to life at the Silverstone-based team has been a continuation of his troubles at Ferrari over the past two seasons, which has resulted in him yet to score a point after the opening two races.

The team, which formerly competed as Racing Point, has plunged down the grid after new rule changes appeared to cut the car's performance more than others, with Vettel's transition made even harder in "tricky" track conditions.

After finishing 15th on the timesheet, Vettel said: "With the wind, it was not that easy to get everything together so [I] struggled in that regard a little bit but it should be better tomorrow.

"In these conditions, I think I was fighting the car a little bit more so naturally [I felt] a little less comfortable but the long runs were a bit better and a bit more time in the car is always useful."

From his performance in practice, it appears like it will be another challenging event for the former four-time world champion who added: "I think it is about stringing a lap tomorrow and then enjoying the weekend."

Team-mate Lance Stroll performed marginally better, finishing seven-tenths of a second ahead of Vettel in ninth place.

"With the conditions being so tricky, the car didn't feel so good to be honest, but I don't think anyone's car felt good," assessed Stroll.

"I don't remember how the wind was last year but it was very windy out there. It is quite unpredictable but the track is a lot of fun so I enjoyed it."

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