Friday: Toro Rosso drivers are confident for the qualifiers

Toro Rosso started their weekend with uncertainties. Certainly, the Red Bull sister team has a highly efficient new aerodynamic package… just look at Vettel and Webber’s standings in the world championship. Nevertheless, the drivers of the Italian team are not the same. Younger and inexperienced, they struggle to find the right settings immediately, and worse still, suffer from the sweltering weather conditions.

Sebastien Buemi manages to dominate his new teammate, Jaime Alguersuari, on this first day of the European Grand Prix in Valencia, but the Spaniard, on home soil, has not had his last say. Both are confident for tomorrow’s qualifying and have high hopes for this post-vacation weekend, especially after a day full of progress.

Sebastien Buemi – 11th and 16th:

« It was really hot today in the cockpits, especially since we did quite a few long stints to prepare for the race. The track was dusty and very slippery during the first practice sessions, but it constantly improved, especially in the last ten minutes, so you had to be on the track during that time if you wanted to set a good lap time! »

« We have a new front wing here and it seems to bring us the benefits we were hoping for. That’s positive. Now, we still need to analyze the data recorded today to find ways to improve for tomorrow. I am quite confident we can perform well. »

Jaime Alguersuari – 13th and 19th:

The heat was an important factor to consider today, especially for me who doesn’t have many kilometers in Formula 1. The heat makes the competition much more complicated.

« Our work has been quite fruitful and we have made good progress even if with the improvement of the track in the afternoon, our performance is not much better than in the morning. We still need to improve the car and I need to drive with the soft tires to improve myself. Rather satisfied in the end. »