A puncture and a lost place in the standings for Toro Rosso
The two Toro Rosso team drivers could have hoped for a good result thanks to their chaotic start and good first laps. But a puncture for Carlos Sainz and a top speed deficit for Daniil Kvyat meant that the Scuderia's sixth-place finish against McLaren was in vain.
The Russian driver Daniil Kvyat started at the back of the grid in eighteenth place following a failed qualifying session. The chaos of the first lap allowed the driver to climb to eighth place at the time of the red flag. « We were quite strong today and after the red flag there were some hopes—at one point, it even seemed like we could dream of scoring a few points. »
Once the interruption was over and a new set of tires was fitted, the first laps went rather well until the top speed deficit affecting the Italian team’s car allowed several competitors, including Sergio Pérez (Force India) equipped with the powerful Mercedes engine, to overtake. “I think we did an excellent job with the tires, but we started to struggle with straight-line speed and the deficit became more and more evident after the second stop.”
After his second stop, it was Grosjean’s turn, followed by Gutiérrez (Haas), to pass without much difficulty. Ultimately, the Toro Rosso driver finished in fourteenth place, behind the two Haas and ahead of Palmer’s Renault. « It’s a shame, but at least we can tell ourselves that we did our best today. Unfortunately, few people can realize it because we ended up fourteenth and out of the points, but it’s not so bad. We will have to take the opportunities on the tracks that suit us best.»
Carlos Sainz started higher on the grid than his teammate, in fourteenth place, having reached Q2 on Saturday. His race began in the best possible way as Sainz managed to gain no less than seven places in the first lap. But unfortunately, the debris left on the track from the three-way collision between the two Ferraris and Max Verstappen proved fatal for him. « What frustration to have to retire from the race because of a puncture. I made one of the best starts of my life and by the end of the first lap, I had gained seven positions and was in seventh position. »
YELLOW FLAGS after SAI suffers a puncture on Lap 2
Chaotic start to the #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/M19buS0lcz
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 28, 2016
The explosion of the right rear tire forced the son of the world rally champion to withdraw at the cost of some unintentionally spectacular maneuvers. « But I went over some debris from other cars at the beginning of my second lap and the tire eventually exploded after Eau Rouge. It was certainly not the best moment of my life, especially after having such a good start. »
The Spaniard hopes to quickly forget this unfinished race day. It is frustrating to have to end the race this way, but I will continue to fight and forget this day as quickly as possible.
The next race taking place this weekend in Monza leaves little time for the Faenza team to solve its top speed issues. The 2015 Ferrari engine is starting to struggle against the 2016 specifications of competing teams. Top speed is a characteristic of the Transalpine circuit, the home race for the team. To make matters worse, the race result allows McLaren to take sixth place in the constructors’ standings from Red Bull’s sister team.
