Friday Report – Some Good Points for Toro Rosso…

The Scuderia Toro Rosso had a first day of free practice without any real surprises, although some small details give hope for a spot in the middle of the grid rather than at the back.

And for good reason, the morning session proved productive for both drivers, Vettel and Bourdais. It was the German who won over the Frenchman as they finished 9th and 14th respectively, having completed more than 100 laps together!

The afternoon, as the traction conditions improved, the team was unable to confirm its morning results and finished this Friday at the bottom of the standings alongside Super-Aguri.

Sebastian Vettel – 9th and 18th

The track was very slippery this morning, but it improved significantly throughout the day and will continue to evolve and improve until Sunday. During the first session, I had to reacquaint myself with the circuit because my program last year here was rather limited with only two test sessions.

There are two or three areas where we can improve tomorrow, and then we’ll see where we stand. Tires generally suffer a lot on a track without real grip, but actually the high temperatures probably helped us today. But once the track is adequate, the tires will start to be effective.

Sébastien Bourdais – 14th and 20th

« This morning, it was a session without any major problems and fortunately so, since it was my first time running on this track. This afternoon, we carried out a tire evaluation program with long runs planned, but unfortunately, we encountered a problem. This issue forced me to remain stationary in the pits for quite a while. »

« But I guess that’s the game, there are good sides and less good ones in F1. It’s a nice circuit, but of course, the lack of grip is undeniable even though the conditions have changed quite radically, as we expected. »

« Now, we will see how tomorrow’s day will unfold. Obviously, conditions will be better during qualifying than during the morning practice. I hope we will be able to run without encountering problems because the stakes will be high. »