Toro Rosso over the moon with fantastic qualifying result
This is the first time that Scuderia Toro Rosso has got both its cars into the final part of qualifying and 6th is also Sebastian Vettel's best ever F1 qualifying result so far.
Sebastian Vettel: "My best result ever so I am pleased, as it has taken a bit of time to improve on my P7 that I did in my first grand prix. It's been a fantastic day for us. We made some changes to the set-up overnight and they all turned out to be positive. The team worked hard to make the most of the data. We didn't expect to do this well here but it's a good thing to have both cars in Q3. My last lap should have been a bit better, but I made a mistake in turn 12, locking the rear under braking. Now we have to keep our feet on the ground, because there are a lot of laps ahead of us tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the race when I think we have a real chance to score points."
Third Practice Session: Best lap 1.39.300, pos. 6th, 16 laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.40.142, pos. 6th
Sébastien Bourdais: "This wasn't bad. I am still having my problem of not finding grip on the "option" tyre, so we need to work on that. But I am happy that our performance is getting better.
I'm really pleased to be in Q3 for the first time. It's a good feeling as I kept waiting to hear that I dropped down to 11 or 12! What we have seen here is that, on a new track, some teams have worked in the right direction and some have not. The team did a good job of giving me a car that was one of the best today. Now it is up to me to get the most out of it in the race. It's bound to be a tough race but I hope to be in a position to fight for points after making a good start."
Third Practice Session: Best lap 1.39.009, pos. 3th, 16 laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.40.750, Pos. 10h
Giorgio Ascanelli: "We must be doing something right but I'm not sure what it is! Seriously though, this is our best qualifying performance with Sebastien making his first appearance in Q3 as we got both our drivers into the final part. The fact this is a new track meant we didn't have to pay our usual tax in terms of our drivers' lack of experience, as it was the same for everybody. We brought a few new things here and everything worked, so we can be happy."
