Toro Rosso: Score blank for Kvyat and Sainz
The two Toro Rosso drivers left Bahrain without an extra point on their scorecards. Daniil Kvyat battled with Jolyon Palmer and Fernando Alonso for much of the race, while Carlos Sainz lost all hope in a collision with Lance Stroll's Williams.
A great fight but only a 12th place for Kvyat
Author of some fine maneuvers against the Renault of Jolyon Palmer and the McLaren of Fernando Alonso, Daniil Kvyat wasn’t rewarded for his efforts, finishing the race in 12th position. A frustrating result for the Russian: « I was very busy throughout the race but unfortunately we were fighting for nothing as the points zone was really too far for us. But at least I managed to finish the race here. »
A slim consolation for Kvyat who almost didn’t make it past the first round: After the first round, I really thought my race would end. I had very little grip and went off track limits due to a misunderstanding with another car. I locked my wheels, went off, and found myself last. We will need to analyze this issue because I felt like I had less grip than everyone else.
Finally, Kvyat is rather fatalistic at fifteen days before racing at home in Sochi, for a Grand Prix that did not leave him with very good memories last year. Indeed, a double collision with Vettel had sealed his fate with Red Bull and demoted him to Toro Rosso starting from the Barcelona Grand Prix. “Today, it simply wasn’t our day. But these are things we have to face in such a tight midfield. Fortunately, the next race will be at home for me, in Russia, where we will have to fight for points because we have the capability to do so.”
A silly collision and three-place penalty for Carlos Sainz
Everything seemed to go wrong for Carlos Sainz this weekend. A series of technical problems disrupted the Spaniard during free practice and qualifying, and his race ended with a collision with Lance Stroll’s Williams for which he was deemed responsible. The Spaniard will be penalized three places on the starting grid for the next Grand Prix in Russia in two weeks: « It was definitely not a good weekend for us. We encountered reliability issues on Friday and Saturday, which made us start the race from the back of the grid. I had a rather good start, moving up from 16th to 11th place, and we were in a position to aim for points.
But suddenly, I was involved in an accident as I exited the pits with Lance and it was the end of my race. The weekend ends with a retirement, but these things always happen throughout an F1 year. That’s racing.
