Q & A with Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel: It is good, as usual. We have a very competitive car so I think independent from the circuit we go to, I think we should be quick enough to fight for big points. Obviously this circuit differs to the last two circuits, so we will see. It is a big challenge. Also there is the heat here. But to be honest, I don't think there will be any problem because of the weather. I think the whole field will be closer together and I think apart from us and Brawn GP, I think there is also the possibility that McLaren and Ferrari will be very quick here.

Q. The general feeling is that when it is hot, perhaps the Brawn is stronger, while when it is cool it favours Red Bull Racing. Do you agree with that?

SV: I don't agree that much. It appeared on some occasions that we struggled less in cooler conditions, but I don't think overall we can really say black and white that we have a disadvantage when it is hot. I still believe that our car is working well, even when the sun it out. As I said, a good car is a good car; a fast car is a fast car - which is independent from the circuit. Of course, sometimes it might play into your hands, but I think you should be able to be quick everywhere.

Q. Do you think it is quite a crunch weekend in terms of the world championship, because if you can beat Brawn in the heat then that shows you have the edge?

SV: I think you don't need to be a genius to see that if you have a 21-points gap between the first and the second in the championship, that from now onwards every single race will be key. So I don't see why Hungary is more important than the next race or the one after that. What is for sure is that from now onwards, we are in the hunting position - so we are the ones to push harder and try to do everything to turn the scoreboard around.

Q. You are part of the trend for younger drivers - like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. We have Jaime Alguersuari in F1 now. What can a young driver bring that an older driver cannot?

SV: In the end, it is a question for the team boss or whoever decides who is sitting in the car. I heard Mark was not so pleased about the fact that Jaime is driving this weekend. I think in the end if there is anything to criticise then I think it is the rules. As you can see, you end up having a situation that a driver is entering F1 without having done a single test.

So I think it is extremely difficult for young drivers, independent from their age, the next generation, to get to F1 as you have no chance to prove yourself. You have only one or two days. If you start skiing, you know how hard it is after one or two days to really know what is going on for instance. Therefore, I wish him all the best and I think he has enough time, but for sure it is not the easiest way to go.

Q. Do you think as a young guy you have more courage, more speed, or more sense?

SV: I think it depends on the guy. You cannot really tell. I don't know how you feel when you are 30 - because there is still quite a way to go for me! I think maybe it is better to ask this kind of question to people who have been around for some time and know the difference. Of course on the one hand it helps if you have more experience, you get more routine.

But on the other hand if you are young, you are willing, you are fully motivated - and some of the drivers might lose their motivation on the way or whatever. It is not always easy and it depends on every single driver. I think you cannot say black and white - that old means no motivation and slow but still experience, and young means no experience but hungry and motivated.

Q. The Monaco GP was a difficult one for your team, with the track being narrow and twisty. Will it be difficult for you this weekend then?

SV: This place is more or less like Monaco, except there are no barriers. I don't think we were slow in Monaco, and I think since Monaco we have made some quite good steps forward so we should have a very quick car. Why not?

Q. What kind of advice would you offer Jaime Alguersuari?

SV: It is always difficult. In the end you have to find your own way, and I think there is more than one person who gave him advice to just take his time. That is the most important thing. If he is really quick enough or not, you can't really tell by one race. It will come or it doesn't. Every other driver has made this experience in their own way.

Q. On track it has been very close between yourself and Mark Webber. How much has that helped push the team on?

SV: I think it is good - both drivers pulling in the same direction. It is a good situation for the team to be in, and of course you always want to beat your team mate. It is the same for me and the same for him. As long as it is positive for the team, it is helping every single one.

Q. What kind of improvement have you made with the starting procedure?

SV: I hope we will see the big improvement on Sunday. Looking back at the last couple of races, the starts were okay. Nurburgring then again wasn't that great so we have done I think some little steps which should help us come back to where we were. Hopefully we can go forward from there. Nurburgring for sure wasn't a good start, but this happens.

Rubens for instance had a great start at the Nurburgring and took the lead, and I remember him stalling in Australia from P2 - so it is not always easy to bring consistency in the starts as you are operating on the limits. So we will see on Sunday - improvement enough not to lose too many positions.

Q. Could you explain what happened at the start, because it appeared your reaction time was good but the car would not get going?

SV: There are many things happening within a couple of seconds which decide if it is a good start or not. The reaction time was good, the first initial bite was fine and then we were struggling a little bit in the accelerating phase. I did not have any slipstreaming from the cars ahead, and I had lots of cars from behind passing so it wasn't the best position to be in.

Q. The run to the first corner is quite long again here. Do you have a lot of worries about KERS cars?

SV: I hope I will be a couple of grid positions ahead of then - but for sure for anyone who does not have KERS at the start, it is a threat.

Q. Red Bull Racing does not have a big factory like the other big manufacturers. Why is it that Red Bull can beat the big teams without those facilities?

SV: I don't know if you have been in Milton Keynes lately, but I would say it is a pretty good size and we are playing on the right level. Size is not everything - although for some people maybe! But I think we are well armed for the future.