Friday: Toro Rosso positions itself in the pack

The morning session was more difficult for Scuderia Toro Rosso as both drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Sébastien Buemi ended up on the last row. The Swiss driver even had to abandon his car on the track due to a mechanical failure. This caused a yellow flag in the final moments of the session.

In the afternoon, the team made some progress, and ultimately it’s the 13th and 14th fastest times credited to the two ‘Sebs’. Not really a performance, some might say, but it should be put into perspective since the times are extremely close.

Sebastien Buemi – 20th and 13th:

« I think these high temperatures will make life difficult for everyone, but we are making sure to be well-prepared to cope with this heat. For now, I feel good in the car, but we still need to work to improve. To be honest, it’s hard to understand what our lap times mean because we don’t know the fuel loads of the other teams. I’m satisfied with the car, even if it can always be better. I lacked a bit of traction in the slow corners, and sometimes I locked the front wheels while braking. »

Sébastien Bourdais – 19th and 14th:

« The track changed a lot between the morning and the afternoon, which made tire evaluation very difficult. It seems that the difference between the two types of compounds is related to the increase in temperature on the track. Therefore, this afternoon, it was difficult to assess the effects of the changes made. But as always on a Friday, it’s mission impossible to compare ourselves to others. We have to wait for the qualifiers. The 13th and 14th places are not what we want for tomorrow, but we will now work hard and see what happens. »