Different fortunes at Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso concluded the first day in Spa with Carlos Sainz finishing in the top ten in both practice sessions. Meanwhile, Daniil Kvyat managed to get into the top 10 in the morning, but dropped to 15th position in the afternoon due to technical issues.
Carlos Sainz completed this first day without difficulties on the Ardennes rollercoaster, finishing in the top 10 in each of the two sessions. He completed 41 laps and set the ninth-fastest time of the day, before the rain appeared and shortened the afternoon session.
Daniil Kvyat experienced a mixed day, encountering technical problems (not specified) during the afternoon session, relegating him far down the timesheet. Nevertheless, he completed 32 laps by the end of the day.
Carlos Sainz => FP1: 7th (1:47.446 – 22 laps) / FP2: 9th (1:46.561 – 19 laps)
The Spaniard had a studious and trouble-free Friday, keeping to his schedule. He was even more than satisfied with the pace of his car, which went beyond his expectations: « It was a good day for us. We were a bit faster than we had anticipated before starting, which is positive. »
Carlos Sainz is aware – despite this significant point – that to stay in contact with the top ten in the standings – and even be included – they will need to improve on Saturdays as well: « We are aware that our rivals advance more than us on Saturdays. We therefore need to keep an eye on them if we want to remain in the top 10. »
The weather is always one of the key factors at Spa and he doesn’t forget to emphasize it in conclusion: « The weather is always unpredictable, it doesn’t surprise me. It’s Spa. It’s the seventh time I’ve raced here and each time, at one moment there’s sun and the next moment it starts raining. It’s typical and you simply need to be vigilant and ready for all eventualities. »
Daniil Kvyat => FP1: 9th (1:47.851 – 20 laps) / FP2: 15th (1:47.450 – 12 laps)
On his side, Daniil Kvyat was slowed down in his program of the day – albeit in the top ten in the morning – hindered by technical problems in the afternoon. The third practice session promises to be very busy this Saturday. However, the Russian only takes away the positives from this Friday.
It’s an honorable Friday. We were able to string together laps despite the issues we had during the day. FP3 will be very busy, but we know what’s missing and what we need to do. I remain confident about what we could achieve tomorrow and the rest of the weekend.
From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps
