Saturday: Toro Rosso optimistic for points tomorrow
Determined to reach Q3 this weekend at the Singapore circuit, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne encountered extremely small time gaps between drivers this Saturday. The former fared better by reaching Q3 and securing the 9th position on the starting grid. Jean-Eric Vergne, on the other hand, missed it by a few tenths, finishing in 12th position. But for both drivers, the goal for tomorrow is clear: score points.
Daniel Ricciardo – 14th and 9th:
« It wasn’t an easy session and we had to work harder today to get into Q3. I was a little disappointed not to have had a bit more time for my Q3 lap, especially since I am just a few tenths off Jenson’s place and I think with more time I could have beaten him. But after all, 9th position suits me.
As for the race, the guys who got out in Q2 might have a slight advantage with the tires. So we hope it won’t have too much influence tomorrow. I’ll do my best in any case to get into the points.
Jean-Eric Vergne – 11th and 12th:
The Q3 was close so it’s a bit disappointing not to have reached it. Nevertheless, we worked very well with the team to have a competitive car for qualifying and we were only missing a small margin, even though the car responded well. I think we can have a good car for the race.
Singapore is a difficult track, with more than 20 turns, and achieving a good time on each of them is not so easy.
I am however optimistic for tomorrow and I believe that starting from this twelfth position on the grid, scoring points is an achievable goal. It was very close tonight and a tenth of a second would have made all the difference, I am convinced that there were a few places where I could have gained that tenth. So it’s a bit frustrating, but that’s how it is, and I will do better tomorrow.
