After a hard fought British Grand Prix for both drivers, the Scuderia Toro Rosso team left Silverstone with Daniil Kvyat having taken ninth position and Jean-Eric Vergne tenth.
Kvyat was running in the top ten for the whole race, and was closing down on the eighth placed Force India of Nico Hulkenberg at the end but could not get past the German driver. He was happy to end the run of three consecutive retirements and to score his first points since China.
“This was a very intense race, especially towards the end when I was pushing to catch Hulkenberg,” said Kvyat. “I was actually quicker than him and I was definitely getting very close, but unfortunately I was not able to pass him in the end. Overall, I am quite happy with this race weekend and I very much enjoyed driving this track with its high-speed corners. And after having had a few difficult races, it is great to see that all the hard work has paid off and that we were able to get both cars into the points.”
Team-mate Vergne lost a lot of time on the opening lap after tangling with the other Force India of Sergio Perez, but impressed to climb back into the points by the end of the race. He felt he had awakened something inside him that had been lacking from his driving, and is ready to get back into the car in Germany with his confidence restored.
“A strong race for the whole team, to have two cars in the points is certainly a good result and we all needed a positive outcome,” said Vergne. “I’m happy with my race. Starting from the back of the grid after the red flag and overtaking the cars in front of me was actually good fun. I think today I have found again the aggressiveness I knew I had and it’s certainly a boost for my self-confidence. I can’t wait to be back in the car for the next race.”
Team Principal Franz Tost was pleased to see both drivers score points at Silverstone, and is encouraged with the direction the team seem to be heading right now. He is hopeful the upturn of form can continue in Germany in two weeks time.
“We can be satisfied with today’s race, finishing with both cars in the points,” said Tost. “I have to say both drivers did a really good job in defending positions and overtaking other cars. We planned different strategies, with Daniil two stops and JEV one stop and they paid off, as they saw the chequered flag in ninth and tenth position.
“The team showed a solid performance and it’s encouraging to see that we are working in the right direction. Now we are looking forward to the German Grand Prix, where we hope we’ll be able to make further steps.”
