Vergne wants to change the mindset at Toro Rosso
Jean-Eric Vergne did not hide his frustration on Saturday evening after missing a great opportunity to deliver a standout performance during the Belgian Grand Prix qualifiers.
In high spirits since the beginning of the weekend, Jean-Eric Vergne could approach the qualifying session of the Belgian Grand Prix with optimism. Often comfortable when weather conditions are tricky, the Frenchman could have further raised his ambitions as he saw the rain appearing just 10 minutes before the start of Q1. However, JEV, along with Daniel Ricciardo, would be an unfortunate victim of these difficult conditions.
As teams like Caterham and Marussia took a gamble with dry tires at the end of the first qualifying session, the Toro Rosso drivers remained on intermediates. A conservative choice that cost them dearly and that Vergne hopes won’t happen again in the future, calling for a change in mentality within his team: “I think it’s the mentality of Toro Rosso that struggles to change,” explained JEV to the French press this Saturday. “We’ve made progress since last year, but there are still things to change regarding the mentality. I think we still consider ourselves a small team that doesn’t have the performance to aim for good positions, which is not true. It’s something I, as a driver, can instill in the team, and I try to do it as often as possible. Too often, since the beginning of the year, we are the first to be on the track. It’s something I aimed to change this summer. We had a big meeting, I went to the factory. It takes time, and I think the driver is the best vector to improve that.”
Starting 18th is not good news even if the performance shown by the STR8 suggests the possibility of a good comeback on a track where overtaking is not considered a miracle. But a few points will hardly erase the frustration of the qualifying session.
« We can score points, but well. We’ll be happy, we’ll finish 8th or 9th when we could have fought for a Top 5. It’s extremely frustrating to start 18th when we know we could have started at the front. The Top 10 was very easily within reach. If it rains tomorrow, I know what it’s like to start in the rain. You can’t see anything at all, you’re driving 5 seconds a lap slower, it takes ages to overtake the cars in front because everything is blocking in every direction. It’s going to be a difficult race. We’ll need a bit of luck to help us tomorrow, » concluded a disappointed Vergne after missing a great opportunity to shine.
From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps
