Vettel explains ‘Arigato Suzuka’ radio message in Japanese GP qualifying

The Aston Martin driver advanced to Q3 for only the fifth time this season, scraping through Q2 by only three thousandths of a second ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, before going on to secure ninth on the grid for what is set to be his final grand prix start at Suzuka.

At the end of Q2, Vettel said over the team radio: “Ok boys, good session. I really enjoyed it. This track is just so much better than all the other ones.”

The German added after Q3: “Arigato…