Toro Rosso down on speed compared to Singapore
Both Toro Rosso drivers have had a busy schedule on Friday at Suzuka as they both were testing several new components on the car. The afternoon showed improved pace due to different setup options, but the cars are still lacking some grip compared to their usual performances.
Sebastien Buemi, STR5-02:
First Practice Session - Best lap 1.34.991, pos. 17th, 26 laps
Second Practice Session - Best lap 1.34.005, pos. 16th, 32 laps
“I had an impressive spin at a high speed corner, but apart from that there were no technical problems. I managed to do quite a good lap time on the Option tyres and I feel I have a clear picture of what the car is doing. But we need to work hard now with the engineers to improve the car, although tomorrow will be a different picture if it rains. We do not appear to be as competitive as we were in Singapore and Monza and it is difficult to say exactly why. It is hard to tell how much we can improve, but the situation is still open for us to increase our performance level.”
Jaime Alguersuari, STR5-01:
First Practice Session - Best lap 1.35.684, pos. 18th, 22 laps
Second Practice Session - Best lap 1.34.055, pos. 17th, 37 laps
“This morning, I tested various new components which made the session more complicated than usual, as I found the car quite difficult to drive. I made a couple of mistakes and there were times when I found it hard to keep the car on track. This afternoon went much better, even if we lack a bit of speed compared to Singapore. We can analyse the data tonight and improve for tomorrow and I would be happy if it is wet for qualifying, as I think we can be more competitive in the rain than in the dry.”
Laurent Mekies, Chief Engineer:
“It was a trouble-free day for us and we evaluated several different set-up options across both our cars. However, we still have a lot of work to do tonight to try and improve our performance and to get the car as well adapted as possible to the layout of this track. Suzuka presents a real challenge for engineers as well as drivers, which makes it very enjoyable. Life will be further complicated by the fact the forecast is for a wet Qualifying and a dry race, so it seems we are set for a fun weekend!”
