Gearbox fault for Alguersuari as Buemi has a good learning race
Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sébastian Buemi finished his debut Italian Grand Prix, the home race of the team, in 13th place. A gearbox fault, however, forced team mate Jaime Alguersuari to retire after 19 laps.
Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03) Retired
(On hearing a message from the pit wall, Buemi followed the Safety Car into pit lane, therefore he did not take the chequered flag, so he is classified as retired.)
“Starting from the back, the race is never easy, but I feel my lap times were good and consistent, especially in the second stint, so I am reasonably happy. From now on, we go to tracks that are a bit slower and more technical than here, running with more downforce. Let’s see if that works better for us. Some teams have made good progress recently, so we must see if we can manage to close the gap.
Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02) Retired lap 20
“I started from the pits, so at least I kept out of the trouble on the opening lap. After that my race was going okay and I was up behind Buemi. But then I had a gearbox problem which caused my retirement. I’d also had some other troubles on Friday and when a weekend starts badly it often ends badly. I’m very disappointed not to finish, as it is very important for me to do as many kilometres in the car as possible.
Franz Tost: “The race was a good lesson for Buemi, as he finished the race, pulled off a good overtaking move on Fisichella and, especially in his second stint on Option tyres, his performance level was good. Alguersuari had a gearbox problem, so we called him in to retire. The positive aspect of this weekend is that both drivers are learning and improving.”
