Toro Rosso race engineer Phil Charles said the team’s low qualifying positions for the Malaysian Grand Prix were down to the team’s lack of straight-line speed.
Charles said it had been a “very difficult day” for the team, which is the only one using a 2015-specification engine.
“P15 and P16 in qualifying is a big jolt back down to earth from the P6 and P7 we had in Singapore,” he said. “Our top speed deficit has proven again to be a big penalty with a very big loss on the long straights here.”
The team couldn’t have qualified signficantly better than it did, said Charles.
“It is a very close battle in the mid pack and some of our direct competitors have brought developments,” he said.
“The McLarens looked strong from the start of the weekend and the Renaults appear to have made a jump, with Magnussen ahead of us in qualifying. Haas also did a decent job with both of their cars. So all of this means we need to be absolutely on top form in qualifying nowadays or we can come out on the wrong end of that mid field battle, like we have today.”
“Having said that, on quick review live, I am not sure there is a huge amount more we could have found today.”
“Carlos [Sainz Jnr] was quite happy in [third practice] but didn’t quite get a perfect flow in qualifying and a slightly scrappy last lap blunted his efforts. Daniil [Kvyat] did a decent job and was just a bit unhappy with his car balance in the last corner.”
DaveD (@daved)
1st October 2016, 15:47
So…using a slightly above average 2015 engine, in 2016, on a power track with two of the longest straights in F1….isn’t a good thing? WHO’D A THUNK IT?!? Say it isn’t so!!!
I remember when they announced this deal last year and my only reaction was: “Are they on drugs? Just go ahead and retire after the summer break cause you’ll never score any points so save your money”.
F1 and the stupid things the sport spends money on and then the stupid things they “save money” on. Sigh.
CarWars (@maxv)
1st October 2016, 16:40
Agreed, but they knew second half would be bad, which they said. Last year btw Ferrari was the second Engine to Mercedes, so far from average. If any torro rosso are a nice bench mark this way to see the step that has been made in one year development by the other teams.
Patrick (@paeschli)
1st October 2016, 17:06
“retire after the summer break cause you’ll never score any points so save your money”
They just had a double points finish in Singapore…
Sonics (@sonicslv)
1st October 2016, 18:42
@daved Well I believe the team has contract to go race at every venue unless they had special dispensation from FIA/FOM (not sure which) or they risking forfeiting their reward money.
DaveD (@daved)
1st October 2016, 19:12
@sonicslv @maxv @paeschli
Yes, I know these things. It was more of a rhetorical rant. :)
I’m a bit of a TR fan and hated to see TR essentially cede their late season competitiveness before it even began. Also, at the time Max was at TR and I wanted to see what he could do. Clearly that issue sorted itself out anyway. LOL
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
2nd October 2016, 0:08
Well, Max got three points finishes in 4 races for STR this year and I believe Sainz had 2 points finishes in that time and then had a few more before the summer break.
They knew they were going to get less and less competitive as the season went on when they agreed to a 2015 ferrari engine. They maximized points early on but after those first 4 races they had Kvyat not delivering (understandably imho) and faded more and more. Now they might have maybe a better chassi than Williams, FI, McLaren and Haas but can’t stay ahead anymore.