Toro Rosso got both cars through to Q3 today in Delhi for the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April.
Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari will start the inaugural Indian Grand Prix from ninth and tenth places respectively as the team chase both Sauber and Force India for sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
“I am very happy for the team as they did a fantastic job and I congratulate them and thank them for it,” said Buemi. “Having both cars in Q3 is amazing. Now, I hope we can have a good race tomorrow, because there are no points for what we did today. The first race at this circuit is bound to be an interesting experience. It was teamwork that delivered today's result, with everyone giving their maximum since we arrived here in India.”
Alguersuari is aiming not just for one or two points tomorrow, but at least four. “I am very happy, especially for the team as we are both in good positions and Sebastien was really fast, right from yesterday, when I had some problems,” said the Spaniard. “Today he drove a brilliant lap. We solved my problems overnight so that I could also be competitive today.
“Tomorrow, we have a good chance of doing well starting from these positions and it could be useful in terms of the championship as our main rivals, the Saubers, are starting behind us. Strategy will be important and if we do everything right then maybe we can bring home a big points score. The increase in performance at this point of the season is down to the great job the whole company has done in developing the car. I am hoping for a top eight finish tomorrow.”
Chief engineer Laurent Mekies said that today’s performance emphasises the progress the team have been making over the course of the season, but acknowledged that they will need to get a lot of things right tomorrow to ensure that they score some points.
“Our car is definitely getting faster as we approach the end of the season,” he said. “We were quite happy with the progress we saw in Korea and today's performance is a confirmation that we are working in the right direction. This is good for everyone back at the factory and in the wind tunnel who are pushing hard on the development of the car.
“Of course, there are no points for qualifying and although today's result puts us in a strong position for the race, there are question marks over what the track conditions will be like and how much tyre degradation we will see. I expect it will be an exciting race for the spectators, with various different strategies coming into play and hopefully we can make the most of our opportunities and secure a good result, on our first visit to this fantastic track.”