Saturday: We half-bet on rain at Toro Rosso

Sebastien Buemi – 17th and 16th

Given the little time I had in the race yesterday, I am generally satisfied with my performance this afternoon. I feel like I got the most out of the car, which we decided to set up for rain in order to be ready for a wet race tomorrow. Jaime decided to stick with a dry setup, so now we just have to wait and see which of us made the right choice.

Jaime Alguersuari – 18th and 17th

« That’s where we are at the moment in qualifying. Maybe if it rains tomorrow, it will prove that it was a good idea to have used an extra set of tires this afternoon. Maybe I could have gone 1 or 2 tenths faster, but not more than that. Nevertheless, I’m pleased that we managed to take a step forward with the car after this morning’s session, improving it for qualifying, and I also think we have a good setup for the race. »

Giorgio Ascanelli

« We finished in positions that generally reflect our current level, even though we can admit that none of our drivers had a perfect lap in the last stint. Currently, we appear to be closer to Sauber than to Force India, which has made a step forward, and to Williams, which is also improving. This is not a circuit where we expect a big difference in pace between qualifying and the race for us, because it’s a circuit requiring strong downforce and the low temperatures mean it’s less necessary to preserve your tires, which is something we have apparently done better than others so far. Therefore, I don’t expect a big change of pace tomorrow. Clearly, when looking at the cars, it’s clear that Sebastien went with settings for rain, anticipating it might rain tomorrow, while Jaime stayed with dry settings. There aren’t big differences between the two, and actually, this afternoon, Jaime’s mistake at turn 2 had quite a significant influence on their respective lap times. »