Vettel, for his part, stressed that he would be focusing exclusively on his
own race rather than following Alonso’s fortunes. “We saw in the last race
how quickly things can change and starting from the back gives you
opportunities,” said the German, whose main threat is likely to come from Lewis
Hamilton.
The 2008 world champion, in his penultimate race for McLaren, set a hugely
impressive lap time, just one tenth slower than Vettel to split the Red
Bulls, but there was disappointment for his team-mate Jenson
Button who limped out of Q2 with a loss of power and will start the
race 12th. McLaren’s reliability woes continue, it seems.
Hamilton had earlier removed the letters H.A.M from the back of his helmet.
The acronym, which stands for Hard as a mother——, had already landed the
27 year-old in hot water once this season when he included it in a tweet he
sent out at the Belgian Grand Prix. A McLaren spokesperson said the decision
to remove the letters, or rather to cover them up, had been taken “by mutual
consent”.
Even if Vettel cannot make history during Sunday’s race, Red Bull are almost
certain to at least secure a third straight constructors’ title, needing
just five points to do so. Christian Horner and his chief technical officer
Adrian Newey deserve huge credit for the way in which Red Bull have become
such a well-oiled machine.
Not that everyone knows them here. Texas governor Rick Perry, visiting the
circuit, was introduced to Horner. Spying one of the logos on the Red bull
principal’s shirt, which was for a clothing label, the governor shook his
hand and said: “Nice to meet you, Pepe.” In this sport it is the drivers who
remain the stars.
And it is Vettel who looks set to light up this star-spangled race.