Difficult start costs Vergne chance of points
Toro Rosso leaves Monaco empty handed after Daniel Ricciardo failed to finished due to a self inflicted technical issue. Jean-Eric Vergne on the other hand lost several places at the start and had to fight his way back up, but the early stop eventually cost him points at the end of the race.
Jean-Eric Vergne, STR7-03, Race finish: 12th:
“After the start, lots of cars in front of me cut the corner at the first turn and I found myself behind the Marussia and I was losing a lot of time. I was on a one stop strategy and to try and get me out of the traffic, we made an early stop. From then on, I ran at a very good pace, which I am happy about and I was as high as seventh. I was lapping quickly and consistently. But with around 14 laps to the end, my tyres were completely gone and I had to come in for the Intermediates, but the rain was not strong enough. It’s a real shame about the laps I lost in traffic at the start because without that I could have been comfortably in the points today. I am looking forward to Canada, as it’s a track I particularly like even if I have not been there and I will go there really hungry to get a good result.”
Daniel Ricciardo, STR7-01, Race finish: DNF:
“I had a good start after which I had to avoid an incident ahead of me but I was able to make up a couple of positions from that. I was behind Di Resta who was running the Prime tyre on a different strategy to me on the Option. We had good pace and I tried to attack, but I couldn’t manage it. I tried to stay out as long as possible on the Option tyre but then I started to lose pace, so I came in for the Prime, hoping to run to the end of the race. I came out in clear air and got into a rhythm before ending up in a train behind Kovalainen and Button. I tried to pass the McLaren but it was not so easy. Then I clipped a kerb at Turn 15. At the time I did not feel anything, but one lap later the steering felt very loose so I came into the pits as the car was no longer safe to drive. Despite all that, from a driving point of view, I really enjoyed myself until my retirement.”
Franz Tost, Team Principal: “The heavier rain that finally arrived as Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber was on the podium celebrating a great win came too late to keep Jean-Eric in the points. Because he found himself towards the back of the field in the early stages after several cars got ahead of him on the opening lap by cutting the chicane, we brought him in early to switch to the Soft tyre with which he would go to the end of the race on a one stop strategy. Unfortunately, the tyres we fitted on lap 17 were therefore not in the best condition when some very light drizzle began to fall. As he had very little grip on the worn tyres, we brought him to fit the Intermediates on lap 71, but the rain which would have helped him fight for tenth place did not come soon enough. Rain, or the lack of it, also affected Daniel’s strategy. We kept him out late on the Supersoft in the hope we would call him in for rain tyres, but it did not happen and, as those around him picked up their pace, when he left the pits he therefore found himself at the back of that same group. In the end, we elected to retire his car in the pits after impact with a kerb appears to have damaged the steering.”
