Saturday: Mixed fortunes at Toro Rosso
If Daniel Ricciardo managed to qualify for Q2 and will start tomorrow from 11th place, things did not go as well on the other side of the Toro Rosso garage for Jean-Eric Vergne. The French driver was eliminated in Q1, but he still benefits from the penalties given to Grosjean and Rosberg, gaining two spots on the starting grid.
Daniel Ricciardo – 14th and 11th:
«I am satisfied with my performance. This 11th place is good for us, just on the edge of Q3. Obviously, I am a bit disappointed to have missed out on the top 10, but overall, this result puts us in a good position for tomorrow, and hopefully, we can finish in the points, even if the race is expected to be dry. Regarding my fast lap, I improved during my stint actually, because even though I was on intermediates, I seemed to find more grip where there was the most water on the track. That’s why my fast lap came at the end, and I had to change trajectory at each corner lap after lap to take advantage of the best conditions. It was a challenging session, but I had fun on the track this afternoon.»
Jean-Eric Vergne – 16th and 18th [15th on the grid]:
« Only two tenths between me and 13th place in Q1 which was very tight and actually, I think I lost two places in the last corner, but apart from that, I think my lap was good. I’m disappointed that the rain arrived a bit too late for me. We immediately went out with the Soft tires because we were expecting rain from Q1. I think we can still have a good race tomorrow because we seem more competitive in the dry than two weeks ago. With the rain during the different sessions, we have driven very little in the dry and the behavior of the tires should be an interesting factor to watch tomorrow. »
