BUDAPEST: Sebastian Vettel delivered a day of near-metronomic speed and precision yesterday as he and Red Bull dominated both free practice sessions ahead of tomorrow’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old defending triple world champion, who is seeking his first win in Hungary, twice outpaced his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber in sweltering conditions at the Hungaroring.
His second performance in the afternoon saw him clock a lap in 1:21.264 that lifted him clear of Webber by just four-hundredths of a second in a closely-contested contest at the top.
He clocked the best lap time of 1:22.723 in the first practice.
It was almost demonstration driving by the pair as they confirmed Red Bull’s superiority in the conditions to the dismay of those, including Ferrari and their fans, hoping to find a way of halting their express charge towards another title.
Vettel, in particular, appeared to relish his car’s performance and justify his claim that he needs no motivation to carry on racing. “I don’t think much, I think that helps,” he quipped.
Romain Grosjean was third fastest for Lotus ahead of two-time champion Fernando Alonso and his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.
Alonso recorded the first win of his career in Hungary while Massa suffered the blackest day of his at the circuit when he suffered serious head injuries in 2009.
Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 champion, was eighth fastest after a day spent struggling with the new Pirelli tyres. He finished just ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus and Jenson Button of McLaren.
Adrian Sutil, celebrating his 100th Grand Prix this weekend, was 10th for Force India ahead of his team-mate Paul Di Resta. — AFP
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