Assessment: Toro Rosso and Bourdais disappointed, Buemi satisfied

The Toro Rosso team faced difficulties starting from Friday and Free Practice 1. The small red bull team has the same car as Red Bull, Vettel, and Webber. However, the engineers are unable to get the best out of it, and the results are disappointing.

Sébastien Buemi, starting 18th, manages to climb to 16th place taking advantage of two retirements, just like Sébastien Bourdais who started last and finished 18th. The STR4 is difficult to set up, but the Turkish Grand Prix at least had the merit of helping Toro Rosso better understand their machine. A machine that has the potential for a podium achieved by Red Bull today, even though the engines are different.

Sébastien Buemi – 15th:

« It was a difficult but good race for me, attacking as much as I could all the time. We have to stay positive and today, we seemed more competitive than the rest of the weekend. It’s a good thing to have finished the Grand Prix today after the two retirements in the previous Grand Prix and it’s good to gain experience. »

« Now, we need two things. One, analyze exactly what went wrong. Two, make improvements very quickly. We must push hard for the next two races before getting a new package in Hungary. We must keep working hard. »

Sébastien Bourdais – 18th:

« Starting from the back of the grid, it was clear that it would be a complicated race. After the start, Fisichella seemed to be struggling and was taking up the whole track; therefore, I didn’t want to take any risks by trying to overtake him at all costs and I lost 4 seconds in the first lap. »

« Of course, I also had to deal with a heavy fuel load. After that, I basically had a solitary race. Doing a long second stint with the Option tires was not easy. We opted for a one-stop strategy in the hope that race circumstances or the release of the safety car would help us climb up the rankings. »

« We weren’t in the game all weekend, but we need to stay positive and think about ways to improve things for Silverstone where we will probably have some minor upgrades on the car. »

Franz Tost – Director:

« After our problems in qualifying, we could not expect better from this race. However, this weekend was useful for learning about the car and how to set up the STR4. We leave with better know-how and it will undoubtedly help us later, at Silverstone. »

Great work from Red Bull, Vettel, and Webber as they go all out to keep their title chances intact.