Vettel: No thoughts of starting on Hypersofts in Canada

Choosing the Hypersoft as a starting tyre for the Canadian Grand Prix was never a consideration for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari, with the Montreal pole-sitter admitting he was "surprised" to see Red Bull opt to do so.

Concerns about the lifespan and pace drop-off of the Hypersoft in Canada prompted both Ferrari and Mercedes complete Q2 on the slower Ultrasoft tyre, which they will start Sunday's race on.

Vettel: No thoughts of starting on Hypersofts in Canada

Choosing the Hypersoft as a starting tyre for the Canadian Grand Prix was never a consideration for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari, with the Montreal pole-sitter admitting he was "surprised" to see Red Bull opt to do so.

Concerns about the lifespan and pace drop-off of the Hypersoft in Canada prompted both Ferrari and Mercedes complete Q2 on the slower Ultrasoft tyre, which they will start Sunday's race on.

Vettel hooked up a lap on the Hypersofts to record his fourth pole position in Q3, but said it was never a consideration to use the compound in Q2 due to concerns about its usability in the race.

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"No, we didn’t [consider qualifying on Hypersofts]," Vettel said. "It was a very smooth session to be honest.  We were just trying to figure everything out.

"Q1 was smooth, Q2 was smooth and so was Q3 in the end. We’ve seen the last couple of years people were doing a preparation lap and two push laps. For me it was straightforward, the first lap was there.

"In terms of strategy we did what we wanted to do. I don’t think the Hypersoft is a good race tyre. I was a bit surprised the Red Bull’s chose that, but I guess they have their own reasons."

Vettel recorded two laps that would have been good enough for pole in Q3, but admitted after the session he was concerned his final effort may not have been enough to guarantee a P1 start.

"I crossed the line and wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough. It was a big relief when I heard it was enough," Vettel said.

"Being on pole here with Ferrari means something extra. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Gilles is huge for Ferrari, and Canada is linked to that name. It’s a great result. There are a lot of Ferrari fans, probably a lot of them from back then as well when they were kids.

"So it's great to carry momentum we’ve had in qualifying so far this year, even though the last race was a little bit less so. It’s great when you have a session like that."

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