SEBASTIAN VETTEL: “IT WAS NOT THE BEST SESSION FOR ME”

Sebastian Vettel will start sixth on the grid for the United States Grand Prix but admitted it was not a great qualifying session for the Scuderia Ferrari driver.

Sebastian Vettel admitted that the qualifying session for the United States Grand Prix did not go well for him or his Scuderia Ferrari team after being forced to settle for sixth on the grid at the Circuit of the Americas.

The German was disheartened to the gap to those in front of him, with Vettel’s best Q3 lap 1.359 seconds down on Lewis Hamilton’s pole position time, and 0.237 seconds down on team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who will start fifth.

“Qualifying was not so good, hopefully the race will go better,” said Vettel. “Surely we can try and look at different things, learn from today, go forward, and for sure we are not pleased with the gap to the cars ahead.

“It was not the best session for me: overall it was ok, the car felt fine, but in the end we were not just quick enough. For sure in Q3 I could have done a slightly better lap, but at the end of the day obviously we are missing a bit compared to the cars in front, so I think tomorrow could be a different day. Probably in my last lap I was a bit too aggressive.”

Vettel admits to being somewhat confused to why the team are not as competitive in the United States as they were last time out in Japan, and as such might need a clever strategy to get ahead of some of their rivals.

“There remains a bit of a question mark at this point, at least on why we were so competitive in fast corners in Suzuka and here we are missing out; but then again we are missing out across all sectors,” said Vettel. “For tomorrow we’ll see, there’s always a chance to outsmart the people but I think we have to react on the fly.

“The strategy is set for the beginning, in terms the tyres to start the race with, but we kept some new tyre sets, so we’ll see. It could be an interesting race: tyre degradation is always important, it could be playing a big role tomorrow.”

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Sebastian Vettel Discusses Defending Race Of Champions Title

The Race of Champions is heading to the United States for the first time in its history, and Formula One ace Sebastian Vettel has spoken out about defending his ROC title.

When the Race of Champions comes to Miami in January, Sebastian Vettel will be on hand as the defending winner.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver captured the title at last year’s event in London and Vettel,during a conversation with Motorsport, spoke on winning the event last year, and how excited he is to defend his crown.

“I’m very happy to have finally won the individual Race Of Champions title last year in London’s Olympic Stadium and I look forward to defending my title at ROC in Miami,” he said.

“All the drivers are strong, and the top US drivers from NASCAR and IndyCar will certainly be extra motivated to win in front of their home fans now that the event is being held in their country for the first time.

“This will also be the first time ROC has been held in a baseball stadium so I’m curious to discover the new track layout. But as always it’s the same track and identical cars for everyone so only driver skill makes the difference.

2012 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, a Florida native, and veteran NASCAR driver Kurt Busch are slated to be part of the 2017 field.

Watch highlights from Vettel’s winning year at the Race of Champions:

The two-day event is divided between solo and group competition. The first half is the Race of Champions itself, with drivers competing for individual glory like Vettel won last year. On Sunday, drivers pair up in teams for the ROC Nations Cup, bidding by nationality for the title of “World’s Fastest Nation.”

Organizers have also spoken about the decision to bring the event stateside.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the Race Of Champions to the United States at last,” said ROC President Fredrik Johnsson. “Miami’s Marlins Park is a wonderful venue and it’s our first time inside a baseball stadium. Rest assured we will put together a truly memorable event for fans of fast cars and even faster drivers.

“American race fans are passionate about their sport and I’m sure they will enjoy the great competition and shows we put on.”

Previous venues included England’s Wembley Stadium, the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing and the Stade de France in Paris. There has never been a ROC champion from the U.S., but that would certainly be a way to commemorate America’s first time as a host nation.

They’ll just have to get through Vettel first.

Red Bull and Force India oppose 'halo' device

Force India joined Red Bull on Tuesday in opposing plans to introduce a proposed 'halo' cockpit protection device in Formula One next season.

Red Bull had the device on their car at the start of testing at Silverstone, becoming the second team to try it out after Ferrari, but team principal Christian Horner said he was not a fan of the "inelegant solution".

"I'd prefer there to be more research time taken to do the job properly, rather than rushing something through that may have other consequences," he told reporters after Sunday's British Grand Prix.

"I certainly wouldn't vote in favour at the moment."

Force India deputy principal Bob Fernley told Sky Sports television on Tuesday, with rain teeming down at Silverstone, that he agreed with Horner.

"I believe that it's too hasty. We need to do a lot more work to understand that the halo isn't going to create other problems, which I think it will do," he said.

"I think we should take our time and get the right solution and then introduce it."

The concept, more like a wishbone with a central pillar supporting a protective loop above the driver's head, has been promoted by Ferrari and Mercedes, whereas Red Bull prefer their own 'aeroscreen'.

The latter device, more attractive to some, did not perform as well in testing by the governing body and the halo is now the main focus.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is keen to introduce it next year but that would require a unanimous vote by top teams, including Red Bull, as a change to the technical regulations.

The FIA could impose it on safety grounds, however, while approval for 2018 would require only a majority vote.

Ferrari tested a second version of the halo last Friday in British Grand Prix practice but four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, who did a lap with it, said visibility remained a concern.

The device was modified from an earlier version, removing some weight and reducing the risk of the driver's head striking it in the event of an impact.

Improving head protection has become a priority after the deaths last year of Briton Justin Wilson, hit by debris in an IndyCar crash, and Frenchman Jules Bianchi, who suffered ultimately fatal injuries at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

The halo aims to protect the driver's head and deflect large debris and objects, such as bouncing wheels.