Toro Rosso would have done better with rain
Toro Rosso failed to grab some points at Silverstone as the team is left behind thinking what could have been possible if the track was wet. The team was aware from the start of the weekend that the car performed better in the rain, but it was not to be. Instead, the team's drivers finished 13th and 14th.
Daniel Ricciardo, STR7-04, 13th:
“The race went by very quickly. The start was very poor and off the line, the car just sat there with the wheels spinning, even though it had worked well on the formation lap. It meant I lost several positions off the line. My first lap was a bit of a mess, as another car ran a bit wide going into Turn 7 and I was pushed even further to the outside. I pushed and tried to do my best and after getting ahead of my team-mate, I began to run at a better pace. The other stints were similar: after the pit stops we didn’t seem to have good speed, but as the laps went by, I could push harder. My lap times were the maximum I could do as I was wringing the neck out of the car.”
Jean-Eric Vergne, STR7-03, 14th:
“I think I drove a good race, without making any mistakes. I did what I could, making up as many places as possible, getting the most out of the package we have at the moment. The best thing about this weekend is that I feel I learned a lot, but it’s not the sort of result that makes you particularly happy. We need to improve the performance of our car as quickly as possible and I know the team is working hard to achieve that. We will have to hope that the next upgrades, when they come, allow us to improve our performance and positions.”
“While the tenacious British fans finally enjoyed a sunny day’s racing and no doubt enjoyed watching our friends from Red Bull take a well deserved win, we would have preferred to see some more rain today. It was clear right from the start of the weekend that we were more competitive in the wet, however we did not get it quite right in qualifying and with Jean-Eric Vergne, we also had to contend with his ten place grid penalty. In the race, he made a great start, moving up seven places on the opening lap. Daniel Ricciardo on the other hand, did not get off the line well and so our two drivers found themselves fighting each other for most of the race, eventually ending up 13th and 14th with Daniel and Jean-Eric respectively.”
