Friday: Toro Rosso retains the positive
After Free Practice, the Toro Rosso drivers are satisfied with the behavior of their car. Daniel Ricciardo, who took the wheel instead of Sebastien Buemi during the first session, was extremely enthusiastic after his first laps on the Montreal circuit.
Jaime Alguersuari – 13th & 14th
« I think I made a step forward here in my understanding of the car, because I was struggling a bit in previous races, so that’s the positive aspect of my day.
I still struggle a bit to properly exploit the tires on a flying lap, so we need to work on that, even though it will be difficult to do that tomorrow morning with rain expected. On the other hand, I was very impressed with our stint in race simulation because the car seemed more consistent than in the past. For example, tire degradation doesn’t seem to be too big of an issue.
Regarding the brakes, I had a better feeling than in Monaco, so I think we’re making good progress overall.
Sebastien Buemi – Non participation & 13th
I didn’t drive this morning, which is good but makes the afternoon more important. It went well and we got a good understanding of the tire behavior, including the experimental rubber we tried here for Valencia in two weeks. I completed many laps, which is positive given that it was a tricky session with some cars going off track. We are using low downforce wings obviously on this circuit, and we have a good understanding of their functioning. It’s very enjoyable to drive the car with less downforce and with a high top speed, it’s exciting.
Daniel Ricciardo – 15th & Did Not Participate
I attended the race last year, but it’s the first time I’ve been on the track here. It’s amazing, and walking around the circuit or driving it in a simulator doesn’t compare to how good it really is. It’s truly more than I expected. I love being able to go on track, really attack, and use the curbs. Brushing the walls gives the impression of truly mastering the car, and it’s a lot of fun. So, it was really an enjoyable session.
[…] I learned a bit about tire behavior even though the track was very dirty during the first two stints. Besides the ‘hard’ tires, I was also able to try the tires given to us for testing for Valencia. It was only for a short stint, but the level of grip they offer seems quite good and I’m sure they’ll be nice to use in Valencia.