Saturday: Toro Rosso in Q3 Again

The Toro Rosso single-seater confirms its resurgence at the end of the season, particularly in the hands of Sébastien Buemi, who reaches Q3 for the third consecutive time, disregarding the penalty he received in Japan.

The young Swiss continues to impress his world. Considering his sector times for this qualifying session, it seems that Buemi focused on the first two sectors for his settings. It’s a wise choice since it’s almost impossible to overtake in the tricky third sector. He recorded the 2nd fastest time in the 1st sector and the 3rd fastest time in the second sector, but far behind Lewis Hamilton who, with his KERS and mastery, outshines all the other drivers in this second sector. Buemi, however, is in 15th place in the top speed rankings and behind his teammate, hoping for a better starting position for tomorrow.

Jaime Alguersuari did not record any time during the third free practice session due to a problem with his car. In qualifying, he still managed to reach Q2 with a time of 1:41:503, more than half a second behind his teammate. He will start 15th tomorrow.

Sébastien Buemi – 4th and 10th:

I was hoping for a little better after finishing 7th in Q2, but I am satisfied with our fuel load which should allow us flexibility in terms of race strategies. The car seems very competitive, as in the last races, and scoring points tomorrow is a realistic goal. Visibility is not an issue, so it should be fine during the race, and the track is getting faster with each session.

Jaime Alguersuari – no time and 14th (15th fastest):

It should be taken into account that I couldn’t do a single lap this morning due to a problem with the car. I think my performance in qualifying is quite positive, especially because I couldn’t finish adjusting the aerodynamic balance of the car. I didn’t expect to reach Q2 after not running during the 3rd practice session, on a track that is new for everyone. Looking at my season, I think that reaching Q2 once again demonstrates that I am making progress. But I still have a lot to learn. I hope to have a good race to finish the season tomorrow.

Laurent Mekies – Chief Engineer:

A session with mixed fortunes: firstly, Sebastien reached Q3 for the third consecutive time, and this is about his level now as he regularly competes in Q3, which is a positive aspect. The management of the session was more difficult than usual, as the two tire compounds were very close in terms of performance, requiring a long stint to get the best out of them. We didn’t help Jaime much today, as he didn’t participate in the third practice session due to a problem with the car. Then in the afternoon, we still had some issues with his car. So, in general, I think he did the best he could today, and we hope that tomorrow we can be competitive again and bring home some points.