Assessment: Two more retirements for Toro Rosso

The two Toro Rosso single-seaters did not finish the race once again. Sébastien Buemi had clutch problems from the formation lap, and Jaime Alguersuari had a major off-track incident. However, the weekend wasn’t entirely negative. The car was competitive, and Buemi managed to reach Q3 in qualifying. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t capitalize in the race due to a stubborn clutch.

Jaime Alguersuari had a very good race, staying ahead of the Renaults driven by Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean, as well as in front of Vitantonio Liuzzi and Kazuki Nakajima for a long time. He recorded the 15th best lap time at 1:34.049. For comparison, Alonso’s best lap was 1:33.946, and Rubens Barrichello’s was 1:33.910. Unfortunately, he ended his race in the wall after spinning off at the famous 130R corner while on his out lap from the pits, having just put on soft tires for his last stint. The Spaniard mentioned a problem with rear tire pressure…

Jaime Alguersuari – Abandonment

My accident happened during my out lap after my second pit stop, when I put on the soft tires. At turn 15 (the famous 130R), which is taken flat out, I lost the rear and crashed into the wall. But I’m not sure I understand why. It’s inexplicable and I will analyze the data, in case I did something wrong with the rear tire pressure. I’m really, really sorry about what happened. I pushed hard on all my laps and was consistent. In terms of lap times, I consistently stayed within the same tenth. I hope to have a good race in Brazil.

Sébastien Buemi – Retirement:

I had a problem with the clutch from the start of the formation lap when I couldn’t get off my spot. We tried to fix the issue by adjusting the clutch mapping, but once again, for the actual start, it didn’t work. Then, after a few laps, the clutch gave out, and I had to pit and retire. It’s really a shame since the weekend was looking promising since Friday. In qualifying, the car was fast enough to reach Q3 before my accident. I could have scored points, maybe. Now, we need to prepare for Brazil where the top teams will surely bring new upgrades to their cars. I hope to have a strong end to the season.

Franz Tost – Team Principal:

Having been to Japan several times, I knew that it’s a circuit that doesn’t forgive and that one could pay dearly. That was our case! Unfortunately, Sébastien [Buemi] had a clutch problem which meant he couldn’t get a good start and had to retire afterward. Jaime [Alguersuari] had a very good race until his accident. After his second pit stop, with the option tires (softs) in the 130R, the fastest corner on this track, he had a big accident. We haven’t yet looked into the cause of it. The car is another story, but in Brazil, I expect our package to be competitive.