Ricciardo completes 57 laps on STR7 debut
Daniel Ricciardo had the honours at Toro Rosso to make the first runs with the new STR7. He said the SR7 is an enjoyable car to drive, and with only minor problems throughout the day he could complete 57 laps on the car's debut.
Daniel Ricciardo:
“It was really nice to be back in the cockpit for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix in November and being the first person to drive the STR7 was a little bonus. It was great to experience taking a completely new car out of the garage. We had a very productive morning, doing over 40 laps and we made good progress with our programme. Then in the afternoon, we did a couple of longer runs, but had to cut it short, although we only lost an hour. I was using the Medium tyre on that last run, having used Hard tyres for the rest of the day. So, overall, a good start and I’m looking forward to another productive day tomorrow, because this car is very enjoyable to drive. It was a good feeling going fast again. It’s too early to give a true assessment of the car, but out of the box this morning, it seemed balanced and quite stable. It gave me a good feeling when I put the power down.”
Franz Tost, Team Principal:
“We completed 57 laps today, so we are quite pleased with the first outing of the new car which seems to have a good base from which we can move forward. Daniel felt confident in the car and we ran trouble free until we lost some oil pressure, at which point the engine protector did its job and stopped the car. We are now investigating this loss of oil pressure, but we are confident we can have another good day tomorrow. As the failure happened at four o’clock, we only lost one hour’s track time which we expect to make up for tomorrow. The car looks nice but the important thing is that it should be fast. My first impression, having enjoyed the rare experience of going out onto the track to watch it in action through some corners this morning, is that the basis of the car is quite good and healthy."
Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera, 4.423 kms
Car: STR7 – 01
57 laps:
Best time: 1:20.694
