Report – Friday – Toro Rosso Falls Over Backwards

Tough day for the little Scuderia Toro Rosso as both ‘Sébastien’s were relegated to the back of the grid. No better than an 18th time for the German ‘Sébastien’, namely Sebastian Vettel.

The lack of testing on this circuit could be one reason, as last week only the French driver was able to do a few laps before a wall got in his way. He was driving the STR3 and Vettel was left on the sidelines! Q2 remains the objective, likely difficult to achieve.

Sebastian Vettel – 20th and 18th

« Even though I know the track and the circuit, I haven’t tested here since February and the conditions are obviously very different today. The day did not present any surprises but there is still a lot of room for improvement. »

« We have identified the areas we need to prioritize. In the afternoon, we made progress even though from the outside, there was no visible improvement in terms of pace. I am certain that this weekend will be difficult. But, of course, we will continue to work in the coming days. »

Sébastien Bourdais – 19th and 19th

« The conditions are very different compared to our tests on this same circuit last February. Our main task today was to make the most of the car. At the moment, our potential is not high enough to be in the middle of the grid because everyone has made great progress. »

The wind changed direction between this morning and this afternoon, which consequently affected the car’s balance. But overall, I think we have taken a step forward. We’ll see where we stand in tomorrow’s qualifying. The fuel issue is a more than random variable. If things go well, we may be able to move into Q2.