Friday: A good day of testing for Toro Rosso
This first day of testing at the Brazilian Grand Prix was crucial for the drivers to learn the track and to test different settings, especially if rain appears tomorrow and Sunday. The three Toro Rosso drivers ran on the Interlagos circuit and were quite satisfied with their tests, even though the settings for tomorrow's qualification and Sunday's race are not yet set in stone.
Jean-Eric Vergne – 18th (Free Practice 1)
I appreciated the little time spent driving on Friday morning with Scuderia Toro Rosso. The main objective was to give me as much time as possible behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car while working on the team’s usual free practice program. The start of today’s session was tricky, on a track I didn’t know and with a dirty track. The circuit itself is fun to drive.
I did my first stint with the Medium tires, and for the next two, I used the experimental Hards brought by Pirelli here. Jaime and I also worked on an aero program. I drove with little downforce and found it difficult because I clearly lacked grip, but that doesn’t matter, because it allowed the team to gather useful data, which I hope will help them achieve a good result this weekend. I also want to thank them and Red Bull for giving me this opportunity.
Sébastien Buemi – 15th (Free Practice 2)
I had to do everything during the 90-minute session this afternoon, and the team did a great job by giving me a reliable single-seater that didn’t have any issues. This allowed me to cover many laps, try out the test tires, the Mediums, and the Softs, and do a long stint, so I’m happy with my day.
« It is still too early to talk about performance, but we are in the same group as in the last races. Since it’s quite a short track here, it’s important to prepare well, as a difference of a tenth of a second can have a greater effect on your position on the grid.
Jaime Alguersuari – 10th and 16th
We tested different levels of aerodynamic support during the two sessions and I think I felt more comfortable with the car’s behavior this morning, even though we need to study the data before making a decision on this element. The group of cars we’re in seems to be very close in terms of performance on this circuit. I think we can aim for a better place in the hierarchy tomorrow even if it will be difficult.
Regarding the settings, I think we have more or less managed to get what we wanted for the tires. The difference between the Medium and Soft tires is one of the smallest we’ve seen this season because the lap is short at Interlagos. As for the race, we can expect a change in weather, so we might have to take a gamble and go with rain settings tomorrow during qualifying.
