Busy Friday for STR as Ricciardo tests new front wing
Both Toro Rosso drivers had a busy time, both however with different tasks. Daniel Ricciardo first tested a new front wing that the team brought to Germany, while Jean-Eric Vergne focused on evaluating the new hard Pirelli tyre before concentrating on set-up work.
Daniel Ricciardo, STR7-04:
FP1: Best lap 1:18.709, pos. 14th, 30 laps
FP2: Best lap: 1:28.513, pos. 7th, 23 laps
“The morning went well in terms of doing a lot of laps and getting plenty of track time. We evaluated some changes to the front wing, doing a back to back test, in a sort of mini-aero test, to provide the guys with some data. Then, we were able to get on with the usual Friday programme and I stayed on the Prime tyre, rather than trying the experimental Hard that was available today. Considering how many laps I did, I think the lap time was not too bad and I am hoping we can be more competitive here than in Silverstone. This afternoon off the track? I just locked up the front and slid into the gravel. There was no damage done and I’m just glad I didn’t hit anything. The wet running went well and could be useful if we have rain for qualifying.”
Jean-Eric Vergne, STR7-03:
FP1: Best lap: 1:19.039, pos. 17th, 34 laps
FP2: Best lap: 1:29.364, pos. 11th, 26 laps
“In the dry this morning, the car worked pretty well and the lap times don’t mean much, as I was running the Hard prototype tyre Pirelli brought here for evaluation purposes. I felt the car was strong in FP1, which means we have a decent car for dry conditions if that’s what comes for the rest of the weekend. Then, in the wet this afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised at how well things went on the Extreme wets. When I ran the Intermediates, we did not have the right balance on the car, but I’m sure we can fix that, in which case I would be happy if we had rain tomorrow afternoon for qualifying. It should be good!”
Laurent Mekies, Chief Engineer:
“We knew it might rain, which is why we did as many laps as possible in the morning, more than anyone else. We had a new front wing to evaluate on Daniel’s car and we managed it, even though the conditions were not that stable, but it was enough to gather useful data. This afternoon was entirely wet and again, we tried to do plenty of running and both of them did well not to make any mistakes when they were first out on track, at the time of the wettest conditions. We got the best out of today and, as was the case in Silverstone, we are a bit more competitive in the wet.”
