Sunday: Toro Rosso scores its first points

Daniel Ricciardo – 9th

I don’t really know what happened on the last lap. I saw blue flags and a lot of cars in front, and I was certain I could gain at least one position because it was chaos. I was a bit lucky being at the end of that group because I could have a clear view of the other cars. Then I had the chance to attack Jean-Eric. He defended his position at turn 13, and I thought I could pass him afterward, and I did, which put me in 9th position. The last laps were crazy, and I attacked like crazy.

At the start, I was caught in the accident and at the moment I don’t understand how it happened or who was at fault. I got a good start, I went on the outside but there were already a lot of people. I hit the front left quite violently against a Williams and had to come in to change the front wing. I had to race with some damage afterward. It’s nice to finish 9th, but I think I could have done a bit better because the car was strong, given my pace even with the few damages I had to manage throughout the race, with the car pulling to one side. It wasn’t easy, but I never gave up, I always attacked. I’m extremely happy and it’s nice to score my first points here at home in Australia where the crowd has been fantastic throughout the weekend.

Jean-Eric Vergne – 11th

I got off to a great start and managed to gain a few positions, but then Webber hit my right rear and I went straight off, losing a lot of time. After that, it was complicated because I was stuck behind cars I couldn’t overtake, even though they were considerably slower than me. Then, while trying to pass Di Resta, I made a small mistake, braking a bit too late and ended up in the gravel. Even with the tires, I was able to clock fast times.

It’s a shame in the end to have tried too hard and lost ground. But that’s racing, I learned a lot from my first Formula 1 weekend and there are still 19 races where I can score points. The car seems to be working really well and we were competitive all weekend, so I’m looking forward to getting back on track in Malaysia in a few days.

Franz Tost – Team Principal

Being 10th and 11th on the grid, it seems rather normal to finish 9th and 11th, but it was far from a normal race and we witnessed an exciting show for the start of the season. Unfortunately, in the first lap, Daniel was the innocent victim of a collision which forced him to pit immediately to fit a new front wing, placing him in last position. Then, he had to manage a car that was never right, due to the damage from the accident.

Jean-Eric was also delayed by the confusion of the first lap, finding himself in 16th place. He then fought hard to climb back into the top 10 but lost positions by running wide after mid-race. The safety car worked well for us, and both our drivers managed to pass Di Resta. Then, in the last part of the third sector of the final lap, Jean-Eric tried a little too hard (to overtake) and it cost him the 10th place.

Considering what happened to him in the first round, Daniel’s 9th place for his home race is the best we could have hoped for. Both our drivers did a great job all weekend, gaining experience day by day. The car’s performance was very good over the three days, and I think we can expect to have another good race in Malaysia in seven days and a good season as well.