Friday: A Toro Rosso more competitive than expected
Despite a power deficit on the straightaways, the Toro Rossos seem quite comfortable at Spa. The most optimistic is Daniil Kvyat, who found the best balance in the setup to secure a flattering 7th fastest time. Jean-Eric Vergne, less in form, is nonetheless optimistic as well.
Daniil Kvyat (No. 26) – 12th and 7th
Despite a Renault Power Unit struggling with top speed, Daniil Kvyat was able to set quite respectable times thanks to solid work on the settings beforehand: « Driving on this circuit today really gave me pleasure, and I am very happy with the car and the way we managed to complete our program. We improved the balance of the car between the two sessions and I must say that I am confident for tomorrow, where I hope to continue on this very satisfactory path and even further improve our times. »
Jean-Eric Vergne (No. 25) – 16th and 11th
Friday was a bit more complicated for the now future ex-Toro Rosso driver: power unit issues in the morning, then setup problems in the afternoon kept him from reaching the level of his young teammate: « This morning we had some problems with the Power Unit that slightly compromised our program, but our performance didn’t seem too bad. In the afternoon, by trying different things, we probably didn’t take the right direction, but we now have a clear insight into what we need to do for tomorrow. The good news is that we seem competitive on long runs, which is really an encouraging aspect for the rest of the weekend. Overall, I’m happy because we have a good car and we know what we need to do now. »
