Toro Rosso kicks off with double points finish
Scuderia Toro Rosso secured a double points finish at the first race of 2014. Both cars ran without problems, allowing Vergne to finish 9th, just ahead of his Russian team mate Daniil Kvyat.
Jean-Eric Vergne, STR9-04, 9th: “This is obviously a good result, even though the car was very difficult to drive. We had problems with the brakes which made us lose a lot of time but at the end we are all satisfied to finish the race with two cars in the points. I’m very pleased with the overall three points especially for the team, more than for myself. After a long difficult time and so much hard work this winter, this is a great relief for all the guys in the garage and it's nice for us drivers to be able to give them something back. It looks like things are turning well and hopefully it will always be better from now on. As for my mistake in the last corner, I was trying to defend myself from Mercedes, looking for the best line to get a good exit, but I went on the grass and I was lucky enough not to spin the car. It’s really a shame but it’s just the first race and I’m sure we will have plenty of opportunities to score more points. Overall, it’s a good result today.”
Daniil Kvyat, STR9-03, 10th: “It was a very intense afternoon and finishing my first race with a point is a great feeling. It was a fantastic first Grand Prix weekend with the team, everyone worked really hard and scoring points was a great way to end it. So well done to everyone! The start was a bit messy, but after that I managed to get into a rhythm and the car seemed competitive compared to those around us. It was close at the end with Jev, but I had to save fuel towards the end, so I was not going to attack him. I never expected to score a point in my first race, so it feels amazing. It’s a real boost for us and now we have to keep on working hard and if we keep on the way we are going, then we can look forward to a really positive season.”
Franz Tost, Team Principal: “Melbourne likes us. We did a good qualifying session, finishing in 6th and 8th position and the team managed to finish the race with both cars in the points. This is really a good achievement, also considering that this was the first time for us to cover a full race distance. This is obviously the reward for a very good job done by both the team and Renault. I’m very happy for Daniil, who has just become the youngest driver to score a point in his first ever Formula 1 race. This is very promising and I’m convinced that this is the first of a long series. Now we have to focus on the next race in Malaysia, where we hope to continue working in the right direction and bring home some more points.”
Ricardo Penteado, Renault Sport F1 track support leader: “A great start for the partnership with a double points finish. The cars ran reliably and were on the pace, so we can be really happy with the performance today. The energy and fuel management systems worked perfectly all weekend and we were able to extract close to the full potential from the Power Unit. We can still improve in some areas but it was a solid start and there is definitely more to come as we explore the limits of the PU as the season goes on.”
