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Vettel: pole position "surprising for us"

19:19, 07 Apr 2018

byJake Williams-Smith

The German will start from pole position after Mercedes struggled in the heat of the desert.

It might have been a front-row lockout for Ferrari but pole sitter Sebastian Vettel says he is surprised that they managed the feat. The Scuderia had looked untouchable all weekend as Mercedes had struggled over a single lap and on long stints in the heat of Bahrain.

While the gaps up front did close in final qualifying, Vettel was able to put in his best lap when it mattered to take pole away from his teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

"I think it's surprising for us after Australia to be that competitive," he said.

"We have good pace, the car is working. In Australia, I think we struggled a little bit with the feel of the car. Here, it has been better and we improve a little bit.

"It's getting better and today was quite nice, the car came alive.

"I was very happy with both laps in the end, and very happy with the result and the way the car was handling and responding, I'm chuffed."