Sebastien Buemi - Photo Credit: Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Toro Rosso had a pretty torrid race in Singapore: Sebastien Buemi could only finish outside the points in twelfth whilst Jaime Alguersuari got a drive through penalty and then crashed out of the grand prix two laps from the end.
“I think twelfth was pretty much the maximum I could have hoped for today,” said Buemi. “If one analyses the weekend overall, I would say we did not have enough downforce, reflected in the fact we had a very good top speed down the straights, but were not fast enough through the corners. But of course, it is always easy to say these things and be wise in hindsight.
“Degradation was quite high and we opted for three tyre stops. I expect that, with the car we have, we should be much more competitive at a track like Suzuka, so I am looking forward to going to Japan for the next round. Before that, we must analyse the data from this race very carefully, to see how we can improve for future races at this type of track.”
Alguersuari pleaded innocence for the penalty, which was handed down after contact with Jarno Trulli that was unseen by television cameras. The Spaniard is of the opinion that the team never really had much chance of scoring any points anyway.
“We already knew on Saturday what sort of race we would have today and although ready to do my best, I was not expecting much from this evening,” he said. “I had a lot of oversteer after the first few laps onwards. With a couple of laps to go I crashed into the barriers and that was my race over.
“Looking at my performance and that of my team-mate, who was on a different strategy to me – I was on a two stop – I don't think points would have been on the agenda for us this weekend. As for the drive-through, I am not really sure why I got it, as I only made very light contact with Trulli.”
Team principal Franz Tost agreed with Alguersuari about the perceived unfairness of his drive-through penalty, and is more positive about the next race in Japan.
“This was not our weekend, as we were behind right from the start, after experiencing difficulties in Friday free practice,” he said. “Qualifying was therefore difficult and, starting 14th and 16th, having got both cars through to Q2, clearly we were going to have a tough race on a street circuit. This evening, we did the best we could, even though we were simply not quick enough. Sebastien got the most out of the package we gave him for today.
“As for Jaime, I still do not understand why he was given a drive-through penalty, which completely compromised his race and ruined the strategy we had planned for him. We must now look to improve on this front before tackling a very different type of circuit, as we head to the next race at Suzuka in Japan.”
