Perfect lap not enough for Sebastian Vettel - MotorSportsTalk

Sebastian Vettel has admitted that not even a perfect lap would have been enough for him to claim pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver qualified second behind pole-sitter Nico Rosberg, and he congratulated his fellow countryman after the session today.

“Congratulations to Nico, he did a very strong lap. It was all his today,” Vettel said in the post-race press conference.

“I’m definitely not disappointed. When I crossed the line I saw I didn’t go first, saw second place on the screen and did not know how much was missing because my lap was fine.

Vettel, who has claimed 38 pole positions during his Formula One career, believes that Rosberg’s time was unbeatable.

“It was clear that even with a perfect lap I couldn’t have done it.”

Instead, the Red Bull driver appeared to be focusing on strategy, with tire management being highly important this weekend.

“I am very happy we managed to save some tires throughout qualifying.

“It will be all about tires and tire deg tomorrow once again. We will see what happens but it’s good to start from front row.”

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With Rosberg uncertain of his own race pace, Vettel is in a strong position to capitalize on any issues for Mercedes. However, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa starting 3rd and 4th, the defending world champion will have to race well if he is to win in Bahrain for a second time.

MORE: Watch the Bahrain Grand Prix online or on your phone or tablet

Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”