Thursday: Vergne puts pressure on Ricciardo
On a day even less representative than usual, the rivalry is brewing at Toro Rosso where Jean-Eric Vergne is satisfied with the comparison to Daniel Ricciardo, based on their past experiences. For the Australian, however, the mood is like the weather, more sullen.
Jean-Eric Vergne – 14th and 17th
« It was my first time in F1 here and I really enjoyed it. Since I wasn’t particularly good in Monaco in the World Series last season, I was a bit apprehensive, even though I was eager to experience this new adventure, not knowing what to expect. I think my performance today is quite good, compared to my teammate’s, because Daniel won the last two World Series races he raced on this circuit and he also had some F1 track time last year. From that perspective, I’m quite happy and I felt that the lap time wasn’t important, especially since I had a bit of traffic and finished my best lap in the pit lane. I’m relatively happy with the car’s balance that we can still refine, but I still need a bit of time to adapt to this layout, even if I enjoyed driving here when it was wet. I feel ready for any weather conditions. »
Daniel Ricciardo – 15th and 18th
« Due to the weather this afternoon, things did not go as well as planned and we were unable to try everything we wanted. So it’s a bit frustrating, especially because we have a rest day tomorrow: I would have preferred to be behind the wheel, but it’s probably a good thing as we will be able to think about what we need to do to move forward. There are a few areas we need to improve in and I’m sure if we do, our performance will be completely changed and I hope we have a good qualification on Saturday. »
