Saturday: Toro Rosso places both its drivers in Q3 at home
Like Ferrari, the Toro Rosso team is at home this weekend in Monza, and the Faenza-based team managed to shine during the qualifications, placing its two drivers in Q3. Ricciardo will start 7th and Vergne 10th, and both men will aim for points at the finish of the race tomorrow.
Daniel Ricciardo – 6th and 7th:
« It’s nice to be back in Q3. Maybe in the end, a top 5 could have been within our reach. However, we were missing a little something in Q3, doing two-lap stints, and in hindsight, maybe a one-lap stint with less fuel would have been better, but I’m still happy to be 7th. I put a wheel in the gravel at the second chicane which cost me a bit of time. Getting both cars in the top 10 on merit on a dry track is a very good result. A dry or wet race? I’m not too bothered, because I’m sure if it rains, we’ll be fine, and not too bad on the dry either. But for the fans, let’s hope for a dry race. It’s great to drive here because the crowd is really passionate about motorsport, even if most are cheering for the red cars! The atmosphere is fantastic, and as an Italian team, I hope we can come away with some points tomorrow. »
Jean-Eric Vergne – 11th and 10th:
I must thank the team for providing fantastic work to offer me such a competitive car this afternoon. We didn’t seem as good yesterday and all their efforts last night paid off today in free practice 3 and qualifying. I pushed to the maximum in my last stint in Q3 and ended up in the gravel in the Parabolica. It’s really unfortunate, but I’m thrilled to be 10th. There’s a big risk of rain tomorrow which could make things interesting, but clearly starting 10th, points must be our target and it’s a realistic goal.
