Saturday: Vergne and Kvyat place Toro Rosso in the top 8

Jean-Eric Vergne (No. 25) – 13th and 6th

On a track made wet—conditions in which he excels—the Frenchman was able to shine and secure a fine sixth position on the starting grid, his best career qualifying result: « It’s a great feeling, an excellent start to the season. After working so hard during winter testing, having two cars in Q3 is a very good result, I’m very happy. »

The Toro Rosso driver looks beyond Melbourne: « I think I have a good car for the season, I believe in the team and in myself, so I can’t say I’m surprised. The guys did a very good job and I want to thank everyone. »

For tomorrow’s Grand Prix, JEV doesn’t want to question himself: « Regarding race pace, I still don’t know if we are where we want to be, but we just have to attack as hard as possible and I hope we will have a good fight tomorrow. »

Athlete, Vergne does not fail to acknowledge the promising debut of his teammate and hopes to draw healthy competition from this rivalry: « Congratulations to Daniil! It’s always positive to have a good teammate so that we push each other. »

Daniil Kvyat (no. 26) – 11th and 8th

For the young Russian, entering directly into the top 8 during the launched exercise is a surprise: « It was a very good session for us and I really didn’t expect, two months ago, to qualify 8th for my first Grand Prix! It’s definitely a big step forward and I am very happy for the team, who did a fantastic job also on the strategic level. »

On a soaked track, he managed to deliver a great performance, even though his session ended with a harmless off-track excursion: « The conditions were very tricky, but the car felt good and in the end, we were able to put it all together. »

Eyes turned towards the Grand Prix, Kvyat does not hide his impatience, especially if the conditions are the same: « Now, our attention is turned towards tomorrow, which should be interesting also due to the weather forecast. »