Sunday: Vergne and Kvyat in the points for Toro Rosso
After securing a double qualification in the top 8, the Toro Rosso drivers managed to score 6 valuable points during the race. Despite a stubborn car, Jean-Eric Vergne is very satisfied with his weekend, while Daniil Kvyat did not expect at all to be able to finish in the top ten today.
Jean-Eric Vergne (n°25) – 8th (after Ricciardo’s disqualification)
« Of course, it’s a good result, even if the car was very difficult to drive ». Jean-Eric Vergne wishes to highlight the good result of his team as he returns to the points for the first time in 12 races. Furthermore, nothing was certain after the winter testing: « After a difficult period and so much work done during the winter, it’s really a great reward for the guys in the garage, and it’s good for us drivers to be able to give them something back in return. »
After struggling with braking since the beginning of the Grand Prix, the Frenchman almost faced a retirement while defending against attacks from Valtteri Bottas: « I was trying to defend against a Mercedes block by looking for the best trajectory to exit the corner well, but I went into the grass and was quite lucky not to lose the car. » The Toro Rosso driver regrets this moment but reminds that it’s just the first race: « I am sure we will have many opportunities to score even more points. »
Daniil Kvyat (No. 26) – 9th (after Ricciardo’s disqualification)
The young Russian driver was starting his first season in Formula 1 this year and was able to take part in his first race today. And finishing my first race with a point [two after Ricciardo’s disqualification, editor’s note] is really a great feeling according to him. Daniil Kvyat explains that after a difficult start, he managed to get into a racing rhythm, and the car seemed competitive. Regarding the duel between the two team members: we were quite close at the end with Jean-Eric, but I had to save fuel at the end, so I wasn’t going to attack him.
The new Toro Rosso driver also erased a record of Sebastian Vettel today: he is officially the youngest driver to score points in Formula 1. This result was unexpected: “I never thought I could score a point in my first race, but it’s fantastic.” But far from being satisfied with having scored these points, the driver wants to look towards the future and the rest of the season: “If we can continue to work this way, we can see a really good season ahead of us.”
