Toro Rosso still searching for improvement
After a double finish at Australia, the Scuderia Toro Rosso knows that reliability is not the issue. Some real pace however remains a big issue for the Faenza-based outfit. On the Malaysian Friday, the team tried out several solutions.
Sebastien Buemi
(STR4-01)
"I drove here last year in GP2, so I know the track. It's different of course in an F1 car but no problem. The heat is not bothering me and you just have to make sure you drink a bit more to cope with the sweating. Today, the track remained pretty consistent which meant we were able to try several things on the car. I am quite happy with what we have seen. In terms of tyres, it doesn't look as though the difference between the two types is a great as in Melbourne and the degradation
appears to be less. Our speed seems reasonable, but we still have a lot to do. Q2 tomorrow? Who knows, it might be wet, so let's wait and see."
First Practice Session
Best lap 1.37.634, pos. 17th, 22 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.36.628, pos. 13th, 32 laps
Sebastien Bourdais
(STR4-02)
"As was the case here last year, the track improved a lot between the start and finish of the first session and then again in the second. It was a dramatic change and the few drops of rain that fell did not help us in understanding the situation. In the afternoon, we tried something on the car which took us down the wrong route. It's still a case of finding out what works and what doesn't on the car. I felt there was a big difference in terms of grip from the prime and option tyre so I did not get the most out of them. A long run on the options was quite satisfying and I
was fairly happy with the balance compared to what I had on the shorter runs, so that is encouraging."
First Practice Session
Best lap 1.38.022, pos. 19th, 19 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.37.278, pos. 18th, 30 laps
