Scuderia Toro Rosso

[Ed]

JEREZ TEST – DAY 3

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera – 4.423 kms
Driver: Mirko Bortolotti / Brendon Hartley
Chassis: STR4 - 03
Best time: 1:23.271, 34 laps / 1:22.493, 50 laps

The final day of this session, aimed at young drivers saw Mirko Bortolotti at the wheel of the STR 4 in the morning, with Brendon Hartley taking over for the afternoon. The three days produced plenty of aero measurement data for our engineers to work on for next year and, although frustrating for the drivers, as it affected their lap times, the car was run in heavyweight configuration for most of the time, in order to assess the impact of running heavy fuel loads next year.

“I am very happy to have been given this opportunity by Red Bull and it was an honour to drive for Toro Rosso,” said Mirko Bortolotti. “I felt comfortable with the team where everyone made me feel welcome. It was a very interesting experience, especially testing some things that might be used on next year’s car. It’s a shame that it started to rain today, which prevented me using a new set of tyres, but that’s the way it is.”

“I was really happy with this half day,” said Brendon Hartley. “We did a lot of running and I think my pace was pretty good, when fuelcorrected, so from my side I’m quite happy. It was interesting for me to work with so many people, with such a big team, as I am used to working with just one engineer. It was a great experience and I really want to say thank you to Red Bull.”

“Both drivers did a good job,” commented Franz Tost. “They are talented and if they do well in other racing categories in 2010, I think they have a good chance of being up to the required standard to make it into Formula 1 in 2011. We completed many laps and we achieved our main targets, namely to get an impression of both the drivers and to carry out some tests aimed at next year."
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[Ed]

JEREZ TEST – DAY 2 2 December 2009

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera – 4.423 kms
Driver: Mirko Bortolotti
Chassis: STR4 - 03
Best time: 1:21.761, 79 laps

An Italian driving for an Italian team was our scenario today, as Mirko Bortolotti took over from Brendon Hartley in the cockpit of the STR4. The 19 year old from Trento had already experienced the joys of Formula 1, when he drove a Ferrari at Fiorano just over a year ago as his prize for winning the 2008 Italian Formula 3 championship. This year, Mirko, who is a product of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme, finished fourth in the FIA Formula 2 series. The car suffered some mechanical problems in the morning, which reduced running time. Therefore in the afternoon, the team opted to run Mirko almost continuously to make up for lost time. The technical programme was similar to yesterday’s, with the team carrying out aero and brake evaluation, as well as running the car heavy to replicate the full fuel load required as a result of the banning of race refueling next season.

“I really enjoyed today,” said Mirko at the end of the session. “Being able to help the team with testing for next year was very interesting, even though I had to spend some time in the garage in the morning. With so little testing allowed in Formula 1, today was very important for me, giving me the chance to do some miles.”

For tomorrow’s final day of testing of 2009, Mirko Bortolotti will drive in the morning, with Brendon Hartley taking over in the afternoon.
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[Ed]

JEREZ TEST – DAY 1 1 December 2009

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera – 4.423 kms
Driver: Brendon Hartley
Chassis: STR4 - 03
Best time: 1:21.325, 69 laps

It is “kindergarten week” at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain as several Formula 1 teams are taking part in a three day session specifically aimed at young drivers. The criterion for taking part in the test is that a driver should not have driven in more than three Formula 1 Grands Prix.

Today, Brendon Hartley was at the wheel of the STR4. His programme did not get off to the best of starts, as he spun at the fast right hander, following the chicane, having just switched to different aero settings on the car. The damage was repaired in time for the New Zealander to get back on track by the end of the morning. His programme had three main elements: aero measurement testing in view of 2010, running the car with ballast to simulate the weight of next year’s cars on full tanks, as refueling is banned, and carrying out some brake testing.

“Apart from going off the track early on, I was generally happy with the way the day went, as I had not driven an F1 car for a while, so now I’m looking forward to making the best of Thursday when I get another run.”

Tomorrow, the STR4 will be entrusted to Mirko Bortolotti.
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[Ed]

2009 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX – SUNDAY 01/11/09

ANOTHER POINT

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
Pos. 8th
“Getting another point today, after also scoring in Brazil, is a nice way to end the season. The entire team has done a great job over the past four races and so I am looking forward to next year. At first, I was having trouble matching Rosberg’s pace, but I picked up more and more speed as the race progressed. I lost a bit of time behind Nakajima, but overall I think I did the best I could and it was a great race. My fight with Robert was quite fair, as I think I left him enough space.”

Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-01)
Retired
“My start was not too bad, but I got a bit boxed in and on the first lap, I made a mistake at Turn 19, losing the rear of the car and going onto the grass, which is when I lost a few places. Then later, I had to stop with a gearbox problem as a couple of gears were disabled, so I decided to pit. But there was a misunderstanding because I came into the Red Bull Racing pit next door as my team was not expecting me. I therefore drove back onto the track and had to retire there when the gearbox broke.”

Franz Tost: “Another point. Buemi drove his best race of the season, getting a good start and after that the strategy chosen by the team also worked well to get him ahead of Rosberg. His fight with Kubica was an important and exciting moment as he managed to stay ahead. His lap times were very quick and Sebastien produced a very good performance. Unfortunately, we had a gearbox problem on Alguersuari’s car when two gears engaged at the same time, breaking the gearbox. It’s a shame the season is over, as in recent races the performance of the team, the car and the drivers increased. Now, I hope we can build a good car for next year and pick up in Bahrain where we left off here.”
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[Ed]

2009 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX – SATURDAY 31/10/09

Sebastien is 10 today in qualifying and it’s his 21st birthday

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
“I was hoping for a little bit better after finishing seventh in Q2, but I am happy with our fuel load which should allow us to be flexible in terms of race strategy. The car feels very competitive, as indeed it has been for the past few races and scoring points is a realistic target for tomorrow. The visibility is no problem so that should be fine for the race and the track is getting faster every time we go out on it.”

Third Practice Session: Best lap 1.40.934, pos. 4th, 22 laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.42.713, pos. 100h

Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-01)
“Taking into account that I was unable to do any laps this morning, because of a problem with the car, I think my performance in qualifying was quite positive, especially as I was not completely happy with the aerodynamic balance of the car. I was not expecting to make it to Q2 after not running in FP3 on a track that is new to everyone. Looking back at my season, I think that getting into Q2 again shows I am making progress, but I still have a lot to learn. I hope I can have a nice race to end the season tomorrow.”

Third Practice Session: No Time, pos. 20th, no laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.41.689, pos. 15th

Laurent Mekies (Chief Engineer): “A session with mixed fortunes: firstly Sebastien made it through to Q3 for the third time in a row and this is pretty much his level now, being a regular Q3 contender, which is a positive aspect. Managing the session was more difficult than usual, as both tyre compounds were very close in terms of performance, needing a longer run to get the best out of them. We did not help Jaime much today, as he did not take part in FP3 because of a problem on the car and then in the afternoon, we had a few glitches on his car. Therefore, overall, I think he did the best he could today and we hope that tomorrow we can be competitive again and bring home some points.”
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[Ed]

2009 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX – FRIDAY 30/10/09

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
“This new circuit has some interesting features which we are not used to, like the tunnel and it’s a nice feeling to start running in daylight and going into the dark. This morning was a bit difficult, but we improved the car quite a lot in the afternoon, so I am not unhappy. You have to consider that there is a huge difference in the track between the first session and the second, as it is a lot quicker in the evening when it’s cooler. It was a bit difficult to get the tyres working properly, especially the Option, but apart from that, the car is not too bad. Now we have to see what we can do for tomorrow, when it will be important to qualify well.”

First Practice Session
Best lap 1.44.687, pos. 6th, 32 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.41.683, pos. 6th, 37 laps

Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-01)
“I have enjoyed driving this new circuit. It has nothing particularly tricky about it and it reminds me in parts of Valencia. This morning I was learning the track and I also had to get used to an F1 car again, as last weekend, I was racing in the World Series. The first session went pretty well and so did the afternoon, apart from a small problem on the car towards the end. Degradation does not seem to be an issue with the tyres and they are lasting well. In FP2 the track of course had more grip and was generally faster, helped by the fact it was cooler in the dark.”

First Practice Session
Best lap 1.44.955, pos. 9th, 33 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.43.022, pos. 19th, 39 laps
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[Ed]

2009 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX – SUNDAY 18/10/09

BACK IN THE POINTS AGAIN

Sebastien Buemi
(STR4-03)
Pos. 7th
“It was a very difficult race for me, as I had to push hard every lap, but in the end to come away with points for the first time since China is a good result, for me and for the team, who did a good job today. My start was difficult, as I was sandwiched between Kubica and Rosberg at the first corner, so they got past me, which was a shame. However, we did not have a particularly strong race pace, so we must look at the data to try and understand why. I have mixed feelings because after our performance on Friday I had hoped to finish in the top five, so although the points are nice, it’s not as good as I expected. Now we can look forward to Abu Dhabi where we must try and build on this result and keep moving forward.”


Jaime Alguersuari
(STR4-01)
Pos. 14th
“I am happy to have finished the race and I feel I am still making progress and learning every time I go out on track. My start was quite good and I managed to get past Kobayashi. But I was on the wrong side for the start and other cars began going past me as I was slow in a straight line. After that, I was stuck in traffic and from then on my race was always going to be tough. When I had a clear track I could be quicker and overall, I feel I have improved again this weekend.”

Laurent Mekies: “It’s good to be back in the points with Sebastien, however we were hoping for a bit more today and now we have to work out why we were unable to reproduce our Friday pace today. As for Jaime, he had a very difficult first part of the race, fighting with a lot of cars and dealing with traffic. He got caught behind a couple of one-stoppers, but on the Option tyre towards the end, his lap times were fairly competitive.”
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[Ed]

2009 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX – SATURDAY

SEB - ROW 3 P 6 – BEST QUALIFYING THIS SEASON
JAIME - ROW 6 P 12 – BEST QUALIFYING THIS SEASON

Sebastien Buemi
(STR4-03)

“Of course I am happy, as sixth is my best ever qualifying result. It was a difficult session and I just stayed in the car, trying to remain focused. Our goal for tomorrow is to score some points. But with this kind of weather anything can happen. I would prefer it to be dry tomorrow, but so far this weekend, we have been quick whatever the track conditions, so I will be fighting my hardest if it’s wet or dry.”

Third Practice Session: Best lap 1.24.443, pos. 7th, 5 laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.20.250, pos. 6th

Jaime Alguersuari
(STR4-01)

“That was not bad and I’m happy with the result. There was a lot of water and it was easy to crash, so my priority was to stay on the track, making no mistakes. Visibility was very bad in these conditions, so I hope we have better conditions for the race. I think I did the best I could today. To make it through to Q3 would have required using the Intermediate tyre, but we gambled on sticking on the Extreme and the final result is pretty good anyway.”

Third Practice Session: Best lap 1.26.224, pos. 13th, 6 laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.22.231, pos. 12th

Laurent Mekies (Chief Engineer): “Our best qualifying result of the season with our second consecutive Q3 with Buemi and second consecutive Q2 with Alguersuari. In Suzuka, we showed we had the pace thanks to an aero update. Here, the team and drivers put everything together well in what was a very difficult session to manage. Sebastien did a very good job to secure P6 and Jaime also did well to reach Q2 in what were very difficult conditions. But it’s the race that matters, when I think we can expect a complicated afternoon. Today was an encouraging first step and now we must try and convert it into some points tomorrow.”
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[Ed]

2009 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX – FRIDAY

Sebastien Buemi
(STR4-03)

“I am happy that we seemed quite competitive in the afternoon, after the mechanics did a very good job to rebuild the car after my accident this morning. I came up fast behind Liuzzi, who was going slowly on the racing line and in trying to avoid him, I went over the kerb, lost control and spun. I think we showed good speed, even though this is my first time driving this circuit. Now we have a solid basis on which to improve tomorrow, after studying all the data. Today’s session shows that our pace in Japan was not just a one-off. So, I am quite confident for the rest of the weekend.”

First Practice Session
Best lap 1.13.503, pos. 13th, 24 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.12.357, pos. 2nd, 45 laps

Jaime Alguersuari
(STR4-01)
“I enjoyed my first day at this circuit, which has a nice mix of high speed and slower corners that make it fun to drive and overall, practice went quite well, even though it was tricky when the track was a bit damp. I am still learning and getting up to speed. There is still room to improve the car set-up, especially on the softer tyre, but it’s already pretty good.”

First Practice Session
Best lap 1.14.040, pos. 19th, 38 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.13.041, pos. 19th, 40 laps
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[Ed]

Japanese Grand Prix

Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02)
Retired

“My accident came on the lap after my second pit stop, when I fitted the soft tyres. At turn 15, which you take flat, I lost the rear end of the car and crashed into the wall, but I’m not sure why, as it was inexplicable and I would like to see the data, in case there might have been something wrong with the pressure of the rear tyres or a puncture. I am really, really sorry for what happened. I was pushing every lap and running consistently, in terms of my lap times being almost always within the same tenth. Hopefully, we can have a better race in Brazil. “

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
Retired

“I had a problem with the clutch, right from the start of the parade lap, when I couldn’t get off the grid. We tried to fix the problem by adjusting the clutch map, but again for the real start, it didn’t work. Then, after a few laps the clutch failed and I had to retire in the pits. A real shame as the weekend had seemed promising right from Friday in the wet. In qualifying the car was quick enough to get me into Q3 before the accident, so maybe I could have scored points today. Now we have to prepare for Brazil where the top teams might not bring so many developments to their car. So I hope we can end the season with two good races.”

Franz Tost: “Having come to Japan for many years, I know this is a very expensive country and that was certainly the case for us this weekend! Unfortunately, Sebastien had a clutch problem which meant he could not get off the line at the start and later, caused his retirement. Jaime drove a good race up to the point of his accident. After the second stop, on new Options at the 130R, the fastest corner of the track, which meant it was a very big accident, the cause of which, we will now investigate. Fortunately, he is uninjured, which is the most important thing. The car is a different story, but in Brazil, I expect we will have a competitive package.”
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[Ed]

Toro Rosso Qualifying notes

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
“I’m not happy, as I made it through to Q3, but after crashing the car I couldn’t take part. A great shame as this would have been my second Q3 of the season and the car was super today. I was reasonably comfortable so maybe I didn’t need to do that last lap. In Q1 after I crashed, I managed to bring it back to the pits and have it repaired, so after the second accident, I felt I had to try and bring it back again, as you don’t know from the cockpit how bad the damage is. At that point of the track, the kerb is really high and if you touch it at the speed you are doing there, you just fly over it. I hope to make good use of the performance level of the car in the race, to repay the team for all the work they have to do now.”

Third Practice Session: Best lap 1.31.771, pos. 2th, 26 laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.31.103, pos. 10th

Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02)
“Before the accident, I was pushing hard on the hard tyre. I lost control and went into the wall. It was quite a heavy impact. The car looks very bad, but I’m fine. I felt confident in the fast Turn 9, so I was going for it, until I went a little bit too fast on the hard tyre and once I was on the grass, I had no grip. The kerb there is far too high for the speed you are carrying at this point. I hope it can be repaired so that I can start from the position in which I qualified. We knew today would be difficult, with this morning being the only dry practice, which made qualifying tough, especially as it is the first time I have been here. Obviously, it’s bad to crash, but in general, I feel we are moving forward, so I hope I can have a nice race as long as I can settle into a good rhythm. Sorry for giving the guys so much work to do now!”

Third Practice Session: Best lap 1.32.689, pos. 10th, 20 laps
Qualifying Session: Best lap 1.31.571, pos. 15th


Laurent Mekies (Chief Engineer): “The most important thing is that both our drivers are fine and we hope the same goes for the other drivers who crashed this afternoon. A day of mixed feelings, as on the one hand, we showed good performance both in the wet yesterday and in the dry this morning, and on the other, both cars are damaged. Another good point is that Jaime made it to Q2 for the first time in his short career, which is an achievement. Sebastien has been quick since yesterday and he was on course to produce an excellent qualifying. Then he went off the track in Q1 and the entire team did a fantastic job to put the car back together again, so he could complete Q1 and move to Q2. With the car repaired as best as possible in the time available, he made it through easily into Q3, but went off on his second timed lap and we could not repair the car for Q3. A lot of work ahead of us now. On the positive side, our performance has clearly moved up a notch this weekend, with our upgrade putting us in a better position. I am impressed with both drivers given the limited time they had to learn the track, with only P3 in the dry.”
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[Ed]

Japanese Grand Prix - Fridy practice

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
“I really liked my first day driving this track, even though it was so wet. It’s a fantastic circuit. Anyway, it’s useful to drive in the rain and we can see from this morning’s session, when everyone went out, that we have quite a quick car in these conditions. We have some new parts so we have to be sure we don’t get any reliability problems and so far it’s been okay on that front.”

First Practice Session
Best lap 1.41.421, pos. 5th, 26 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.48.691, pos. 6th, 9 laps


Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02)
“It was good to get a feel for the car in the wet and we made progress, even though I wasn’t pushing too hard, but at least we know how the car works on the Intermediate and Extreme wets. I felt quite comfortable and I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend. I hope we get a dry session tomorrow morning, so we can improve. My first impression of Suzuka is that it’s really nice. You can feel a lot of grip in the fast corners in the wet, so I think it should be amazing in the dry. With the downforce we have and, now on slick tyres, I think everyone’s lap timesin the dry will be much quicker than in 2006.”

First Practice Session
Best lap 1.42.667, pos. 14th, 27 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap 1.48.802, pos. 9th, 11 laps
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[Ed]

Japanese Grand Prix preview

Jaime Alguersuari
“I have been to Suzuka before, back in 2005 for a karting race, the Asia-Pacific World Cup, although of course we weren’t racing on the F1 track! I was leading the race on the final lap, but I crashed with Kazuki Nakajima at the last corner and ended second. Being in Japan for the first time was an amazing experience and it felt like another world to me.
It’s a dream to now be able to drive on the real circuit, after having seen it while I was there. I’ve driven it on the simulator and also on a computer game. I hope we can have a successful weekend.”

Sebastien Buemi
“I’ve been to Japan, as I drove the Medical Car last year in Fuji, but I’ve never been to Suzuka. I’ve been on the simulator to practice the track, which looks great, so I’m very much looking forward to driving it for real. I’ve heard that they have resurfaced the track and got brand new facilities in the paddock with new pits. I think it is one of the best circuits in the world, so I can’t wait to get there. Japan is very strange and completely different to what we are used to in Europe. I’ve been to Tokyo, which is fantastically modern, although the people wear some rather funny clothes! I got a good impression while I was there, in that the people treat one another with a lot of respect and everything is very clean. As for the race, I think we can do well, as we will have a new update on the car. In Singapore, we were a bit more competitive than in past races and I think we could be even better in Japan.”
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[Ed]

Singapore Grand Prix - Race

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
Retired
“The start was good for me as I got past Kimi and was going well, but towards the end of the first run, I began to suffer with tyre degradation. The first pit stop went well and I rejoined in P12. After that the Safety Car came out, bunching up the field. I was behind Kimi again and pushing hard until my second pit stop, when we had a big problem as no fuel went in and I had to come in again. Finally, I had an issue with the gearbox which meant I had to stop. I am very disappointed that we had reliability problems in a race where we might have got a good result.”

Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02)
Retired
“It would have been difficult for me to do better today, as conditions in the race in terms of the track and the heat were very tough. I ran at my own pace and then I was stopped with a brake problem. Now we go to Suzuka where I hope to do better and finish the race with no technical issues.”

Franz Tost: “Both drivers got an okay start, Buemi moving up to twelfth and Alguersuari was fourteenth. Buemi defended his position, until he was passed by Raikkonen. The first pit stop for Buemi went according to plan. Then we had a major problem at Jaime’s first stop, as he tried to drive away before the lollipop was up and this damaged the fuel rig. As a consequence, when Sebastien came in for his second stop, no fuel went in and we had to bring him in to refuel again. Towards the end, we called him back to the pits, as we could see he was losing oil pressure in the gearbox, for reasons we must now investigate. When Jaime made his second pit stop, we saw that there was a problem with the front right brake, the cause of which we have yet to identify, so on safety grounds we decided to retire him.”
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[Ed]

2009 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX – SATURDAY 26/09/09

A reasonably good session, if still not good enough for Q3. But planning for the future is important and here our 2 drivers enjoy practicing their microphone technique for an eventual appearance in an FIA Top Three Qualifiers Press Conference.


Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
“I am quite happy, as the session went smoothly without any mistakes. I got the most I could out of the car and am pleased to have got ahead of Trulli. I’m glad to finally be back in Q2. as it’s been a long time. Now we need to work on a race strategy, make a good start and run the pit stops well.”

3rd Practice Session
1.48.754, pos. 9th, 17 laps
Qualifying Session
1.47.369, pos. 14th

Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02)
“We did quite well and we’re getting faster. It was quite difficult to do better than that, but I am feeling more comfortable with the track every time I get in the car. This has been the hardest track I have driven apart from Macau. With it being a street circuit, anything could happen tomorrow, so hopefully I can have a good race.”

3rd Practice Session
1.49.399, pos. 18th, 17 laps
Qualifying Session
1.48.340, pos. 17th

Laurent Mekies (Chief Engineer)
“We had a very difficult Friday and made a major change to the car set-up overnight, which seems to have been a step in the right direction. Sebastien and Jaime also improved their performance. Jaime has got better throughout the weekend on a track that is difficult to learn and Sebastien is back in Q2 after a gap of a few races. We’re still not where we want to be, but having made a good step forward from Friday to today, there is still room to make another one for the race, which is likely to be very chaotic, so anything can happen.”
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