Toro Rosso: Reliability issues without consequence for Sainz
Like the rest of the paddock, Toro Rosso did very little running this Friday due to the rainy conditions at the Melbourne circuit. Carlos Sainz experienced some reliability issues in the morning.
Due to the rainy and changing conditions, Carlos Sainz only completed nineteen laps during the two free practice sessions. He confirms that it was not the easiest start to the weekend for him, especially since he encountered some reliability issues that limited his running time. Fortunately, we didn’t miss much since the track was wet for most of the session, he reassures.
The afternoon went better: « This afternoon we were able to drive as much as we wanted and made up some of the track time we lost this morning. The car performed well on a wet track, which makes me confident in case of more showers tomorrow or Sunday. I feel in good shape on the track » concluded the Spanish driver.
Max Verstappen drove more than his teammate on Friday morning, but didn’t venture to set a timed lap in the afternoon. “It was a bit of a tricky day,” he confirmed after the two sessions. He seemingly didn’t have luck with the rain: “We didn’t complete many laps and the weather conditions were constantly changing… When we went out on slick tires, it started to rain, and when we went out on intermediates, the track was drying.” Max Verstappen had already done the rain setup during the first session, so his team didn’t find it necessary to keep him on the track.
Like the rest of the field, the two Toro Rosso drivers will have a busy third free practice. They will need to set up the car for qualifying as well as for the race on a dry track… in just one hour.
