Sebastian Vettel says pole position for the Australian Grand Prix was out of reach for Ferrari, despite scoring the team’s first front row appearance since Singapore 2015.
The German driver secured second place on the grid, with his best Q3 lap of the Albert Park track being just over two and a half tenths slower than Lewis Hamilton’s benchmark.
He will line up alongside Hamilton on the front row, ahead of Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes W08.
Vettel admitted he could have got more out of his best lap in qualifying, but even without the mistakes felt pole was not possible.
“We have a good car, we are working well as a team, things are improving and it’s nice to see things are working,” he said.
Gallery: Click here for the latest image from qualifying in Melbourne
“We had a mixed day yesterday but the confidence in the car was there from testing and we showed it again.
“In the end, I was not entirely happy with my lap – pretty happy with the end but maybe not so much with the opening of the lap where we lost a bit too much.
“I think Lewis did a very good lap so, I would have loved to but I don’t think pole was out to grasp.”
Looking ahead to the race, he added: “Tomorrow, I think we can do something in the race, the car feels good, we’ve improved it, so the pace should be better than yesterday.
“It has been a big winter for us, we’ve gone through a lot of change as a team in the last 12 months, for the better. People are fired up and we’re motivated for tomorrow, and the start is the first good opportunity.”
