Saturday: Vergne wants to score his first points tomorrow
For the first qualifying session of the year, Toro Rosso managed to reach Q3 thanks to Daniel Ricciardo. For his F1 debut, Jean-Eric Vergne delivered a strong performance by securing 11th place just behind his teammate. The Frenchman hopes to score points in the race tomorrow.
Daniel Ricciardo – 10th and 10th
« It was really great! The ambition at the start of the weekend, as far as qualifying was concerned, was to get into Q3 and we succeeded. Before arriving in Melbourne, we didn’t have a clear idea of what our pace would be compared to the other teams. In fact, I even thought that Q3 might be out of reach, so it was really a very positive result for me and for the team. We should have a good race as we seem to be in a good position, so we’ll try to get the best possible start followed by a good first lap and then we’ll see what we can do next. It will be a bit of a new experience for me compared to last season because it will be the first time I’ve started from such a good position. Today, we laid the groundwork for Sunday, and Jean-Eric is not far behind me, so as a team, we can be delighted with the work done. »
Jean-Eric Vergne – 11th and 11th
«It wasn’t too bad I think, even though I was a bit disappointed to miss Q3 by a whisker. I did a very good lap in Q1, a bit less so in Q2. But I still have a lot to learn at this stage of the season and the main thing is that everything went well, and I’m enjoying all these new experiences. There’s a lot of positives to take from how the qualifying session went, and I feel we have a car that should perform well in the race tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it – it should be fun. My goal for tomorrow? Score some points.»
Laurent Mekies – Chief Engineer
The outcome of these qualifications is positive, particularly when you consider the small gap there is in the middle of the pack, which means we had a great battle with our rivals. Because of the rain yesterday, everyone could really only set up their cars this morning, and that added difficulty for our drivers. Finishing in 10th and 11th places, for what is Daniel’s first race with us and Jean-Eric’s first Formula 1 qualifying session, is a very good sign. Tomorrow, anything can happen, especially since we are in the middle of the pack. We will do our best, and I am sure it will be an enjoyable race for the spectators to watch.
