A far from satisfactory day, with only a few laps completed as the STR9 suffered several teething problems. With very little track time, the team also focussed on pit stop practice and other procedures. The team now has four days to work hard with its technical partners to try and solve its problems before testing resumes here at the Sakhir circuit on Thursday.
Jean-Eric Vergne
“There’s no point in making negative comments, because everyone knows we are facing major problems and we are not alone in that. We knew when we came to Bahrain that there had not been enough time since the previous test to have solved all our issues. On the positive side, we have managed to fix some of them now. Also, even if I have not done so many laps, it’s clear from those I have managed to complete, that Toro Rosso has done a good job to give me a car that feels nice to drive, if we talk about the elements that used to be the main topics before this year, such as the aero and mechanical side of the package. It’s frustrating, but we need to keep calm and not get stressed as there are still a few weeks before Melbourne. We will try again here in Bahrain starting on Thursday. Clearly, in Melbourne, just finishing the race will mean you have a good chance of scoring points.”