The German told reporters after qualifying on the front row that he had feared he would not be able to take part in the session after having to park up before the end of the morning's final practice.
"To be honest, this morning, no," he said when asked whether he had thought pole position might be a possibility. "I wasn't sure if I could do quali (qualifying).
"I don't know what happened but it (the neck) went a little bit stiff.
"We loosened it up and for tomorrow I think the night will help. I'm not worried. Also, the speed tomorrow is less than in quali, because you have more fuel and you'll be a bit slower so it's going to be OK."
He said the session had not been the most enjoyable but he got through it and was fine.
Vettel leads Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton by a single point after nine races.
Hamilton has won his home race for the past four years, and five times in total, and starts on pole position.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
