Cautious Vettel tops Hungary practice

BUDAPEST, July 31 (AFP) : Sebastian Vettel cut an uncertain figure on Friday after dominating both free practice sessions for his Red Bull team ahead of Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old German, whose impetuosity and inconsistent form has undermined Red Bull’s bid for supremacy this season, topped the times all day, but refused to be drawn into confirming he is the man to beat this weekend.

Having seen the Red Bull outfit take 10 poles out of the 11 available so far this year, but then translate that speed and positional advantage into just five wins, he seemed to have decided that a cautious approach was the wise one.

Asked if he felt he and Red Bull had proved themselves to be a league apart, after topping the times by half a second ahead of two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, Vettel was quick in response.

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” he said. “I think that in the morning we know what happened and the gaps were very big, but this afternoon was much more like it.