Scuderia Toro Rosso

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2009 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews
Ed
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Post by Ed » Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:13 pm

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.”

Ed
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Post by Ed » Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:16 pm

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.”

Ed
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Post by Ed » Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:30 pm

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.

Ed
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Post by Ed » Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:31 pm

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.

Ed
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Post by Ed » Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:55 pm

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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