Saturday: Ricciardo offers Toro Rosso a 5th consecutive top 10 finish
Toro Rosso places a car in Q3 for the 5th consecutive time. Unfortunately for Jean-Eric Vergne, it's Daniel Ricciardo who enters the top 10 at the end of this qualifying session. The French driver couldn't really explain the gap he had compared to his teammate and will have to look at the telemetry to learn more. On his side, Daniel Ricciardo is obviously delighted with his Saturday afternoon.
Daniel Ricciardo – 15th and 8th:
« It was nice to be in Q3 again. It seems we’re getting used to finding a little extra for qualifying, although I’d like us to be on pace from Friday. We made some setup changes overnight and it seems to have worked, even though we had to work a bit more to reach Q3 today. I think we extracted the maximum from the car. I was happy with the way I drove and I’m pleased with my current form. But now comes the part of the weekend that matters, and we’re going to try to do well, starting by getting a good start. I’m not too worried about starting from the ‘dirty’ side of the grid, and with the numerous support races before the Grand Prix, I’m sure it will go well. »
Jean-Eric Vergne – 16th and 14th:
« I am not sure how I ended up several tenths off my teammate in Q2. I will see what we can learn from the data. We didn’t have any problems except since Friday I’ve been lacking downforce on my car. Tomorrow it will be a difficult race in these conditions, especially with the soft tires, and choosing the right strategy will make the difference. The car has improved since Friday, so depending on the uncertainties we will face tomorrow, I remain relatively optimistic and hope to be in a position to fight for some points. My mindset regarding the paddock rumors? It has absolutely no effect on what I have to do this weekend. »
