Formula One news

Toro Rossos better than expected

Scuderia Toro Rosso enjoyed a better than expected result in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix with Liuzzi and Vettel ending up eleventh and twelfth on the grid.

"Overall a good qualifying and I think the whole team can be proud of this result achieved in dry conditions," said Liuzzi. "Yesterday went well and this morning, we worked hard on getting the best set-up possible, always thinking that we might have a wet race tomorrow. In Q1, I had a bit of traffic so I could not get the best out of the car, but we still made it safely to Q2. Maybe I could have done a little bit better if I had made my run later as I had some understeer, but to be eleventh, so close to Q3 means we have done a good job." 

Sebastian Vettel commented, "This performance was better than we expected. It is a very good result for the whole team. There was not much between us: in Q1 I was slightly ahead of Tonio and in Q2, he was quicker. The key thing is that we managed to lap consistently. I only missed out on Q3 by a little margin, so this is clearly an improvement over yesterday and shows we are quite competitive in qualifying specific. Let's see what we can do in the race. I am looking forward to it whatever the conditions."

more news

• 20 Aug.
  • Raikkonen not giving up
  • Valencia technical preview
  • Barrichello sees chance of points
• 19 Aug.
  • Renault sets sights on fourth
  • Glock still smiling after Hungarian podium
  • Piquet targets top ten qualifying slot
  • Toyota confidence high for Valencia
• 18 Aug.
  • Alonso promises extra for second home race
  • Trulli hopeful of fighting for podium
  • BMW boss hoping to revive campaign
  • Brawn hopeful having done Valencia homework
  • Kubica ready to get down to business
• 17 Aug.
  • McLaren boss relies on methodical approach
  • Heidfeld unconcerned by new venue
• 16 Aug.
  • Button excited for Valencia debut
  • Kovalainen - win doesn't change much
• 15 Aug.
  • Heidfeld expects challenging track in Valencia
  • Trulli set for streets of Rotterdam
  • Hamilton puts focus on consistently scoring points
• 14 Aug.
  • Raikkonen set for Finnish stamps
  • Red Bull goal is fourth
  • Berger: Vettel will win the championship one day
• 13 Aug.
  • Former Renault aero guru passes away
  • McLaren will rotate staff next year
• 12 Aug.
  • Rosberg will stick with Williams
  • Alonso's sneak preview of Valencia
• 11 Aug.
  • Bourdais: It's difficult getting used to the car
  • New gearbox is Force India's final update
  • Theissen: Friday sessions in Valencia will be busy
• 10 Aug.
  • Coulthard wants to ban refuelling
  • Heidfeld calls for less testing and more races
• 09 Aug.
  • Bridgestone confirms tyre specs for final rounds
  • BMW planning several improvements over break
• 08 Aug.
  • Brawn confident of Honda progress
  • Background: Who will race where in 2009?
  • Williams closing in on problems
• 07 Aug.
  • Theissen: Performance in Hungary was unexpected
  • Massa trying to forget Hungary
  • Glock couldn't believe his eyes
• 06 Aug.
  • Raikkonen unhappy despite return to podium

Homepage