Saturday: Toro Rosso doesn’t take off, Bourdais is disheartened
The races follow one another and are tirelessly similar for the Toro Rosso team to the point that Sébastien Bourdais is beginning to grow weary. The last test session this morning brought nothing more, with both drivers beyond the 14th place. Bourdais has been outperforming Buemi, as has been the case for a few races […]
The races follow one another and are tirelessly similar for the Toro Rosso team to the point that Sébastien Bourdais is beginning to grow weary. The last test session this morning brought nothing more, with both drivers beyond the 14th place. Bourdais has been outperforming Buemi, as has been the case for a few races now. Indeed, the Swiss is accumulating technical problems today, as this morning a hydraulic issue relegated him to 19th place.
No hope, therefore, for the qualifications, with an additional new problem for this season’s recruit. This time it’s the gearbox acting up. He will start dead last tomorrow from the starting grid of this British Grand Prix. His teammate is 17th and got caught out by Sutil’s red flag when he could have improved his time. Frustrating!
Sébastien Bourdais – 14th and 17th:
« I think we have improved the car by two or three tenths compared to Turkey, but the other teams have done the same. Our car is much more pleasant to drive and is a bit faster. I felt good inside the cockpit and I believe I had the pace to enter Q2, but the red flag came at the wrong time for me. It’s a real shame. It’s a great track and when the setup of the single-seater is perfect, a qualifying lap must be an incredible feeling. »
Sébastien Buemi – 19th and 20th:
« It’s been a bad weekend so far, with a few small issues. There haven’t been many clean laps without problems. In qualifying, you pay the price for that. It’s disappointing to realize that I couldn’t use the full capabilities of my car in qualifying, especially with the gearbox. It cost me at least three tenths and that makes a big difference. But it’s racing, and now we’ll see what we can do tomorrow. It will be a tough race, no matter what. »
Giorgio Ascanelli – Technical Director:
« We had two reliability issues today on Buemi’s car: a hydraulic problem in the morning and then the gearbox this afternoon. Bourdais did a reasonable job, but he lost any chance to reach Q2 with the red flag. I think his 15th place is the best we could hope for today. We tested different elements during practice to improve our pace and we were a bit better on that front today. »
