Toro Rosso lack F-duct to be competitive
Toro Rosso didn't enjoy a great race today and found that their lack of F-ducts costs them points. Alguersuari lost a points finish in the final lap to Hulkenberg, running on fresh tyres and with a better top speed. Buemi meanwhile crashed out in the difficult conditions.
Jaime Alguersuari, STR5-01, 11th:
“We missed out on a good opportunity to score points today, so I am very disappointed, because just getting to the finish was an achievement given how many cars did not manage to do that. I obviously lost out most during the pit stop, when a technical problem meant I went into the pits in ninth place and came out in fifteenth place. Throughout the race, I lacked speed down the long straights and that is why it was hard to move back up the order, then at the end, when I had finally managed to get into the points, I could do nothing against Hulkenberg, who was faster in a straight line and was on new tyres. It is hard to be competitive when you lack the top speed, because it also means we ran less downforce than others in order to make up for that, so it is harder to manage the tyres in this situation. I just hope we can have a better weekend in Brazil.”
Sebastien Buemi, STR5-02, DNF:
“I think it was the right decision to spend so much time behind the Safety Car because the visibility was so poor. The asphalt did not seem to drain very well. I am disappointed with my race as I think there was plenty of potential for me this afternoon. I was running as high as seventh before the accident as everyone had stopped to change tyres. My pace was good and I was able to pass Kobayashi, Heidfeld and the Lotus and Virgins and it was going really well. We lost the chance to score some real points today. The accident? I braked late and locked the front wheels, so I could not turn and ended up going straight on and hitting Timo. I am sorry for him.”
