Wrong setup direction made qualifying difficult for Vettel

Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel suffered a difficult qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix, after apparently taking a step in the wrong direction in setup for qualifying. Whereas his team-mate Mark Webber qualified 2nd and will therefore start on pole after Schumacher’s penalty, Vettel will start the race from 9th after not setting a time in Q3.

The Monte-Carlo street circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull in recent years, with the Milton Keynes-based outfit winning the last two Monaco Grands Prix. It was also the scene of their first podium in Formula 1, when David Coulthard finished 3rd in 2006. However with the 2012 season being highly unpredictable and competitive, Red Bull have not been in full control in the opening five races in contrast to 2011.

With Sebastian Vettel already victorious this season, Mark Webber has a perfect opportunity to open his winning account during tomorrows race. In stark contrast to Webber’s fortune, Vettel will have a tough afternoon of racing ahead of him, with the likes of Raikkonen, Alonso and Hamilton to pass on the trickiest circuit for passing.

“It was a bit mixed up for me.” Said Sebastian Vettel, “It was looking very good this morning, but then I think we took a step in the wrong direction and ended up with a difficult car for qualifying. It’s a bit of a disappointment, as Mark showed what the car can do around here, so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

With Sebastian Vettel tied on 61 points with Fernando Alonso atop the World Drivers’ Championship, a large points haul or even a podium is the only realistic aim for the reigning World Champion on the streets of Monte-Carlo.

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