Sebastien Vettel made his debut with the Toro Rosso team this weekend, replacing American driver Scott Speed. Vettel had a solid race, finishing 16th overall.
“It felt like a long race, but the main thing is that I finished,†Vettel explained. “It was not easy as over a race distance, the car changes a lot and you have to adapt, which is not easy when you don t know the car. The team did a very good job, helping me where they could. I had quite a good start. I found it quite exciting and overall, it was a good weekend, considering Friday was the first time I drove the car.â€
Vettel s team-mate Tonio Liuzzi wasn t so happy. Liuzzi notched up a seventh DNF in 11 races when on lap 43, his car suffered from electronic problems which forced him to retire. “My race was OK apart from the fact that our strategy choice meant that when I was stuck behind Massa running slower with a heavier fuel load it was costing me time,†he explained.
“During the first stop, we sorted it out, changing my strategy and it could have gone better from the on as I had good pace. Unfortunately, I had an electronic problem. For at least three laps, I was very slow down the straights and I could feel a lack of power.
“We tried to go ahead and to keep pushing but it became obvious I would not be able to finish the race as I was going about three seconds a lap slower. We have to try an improve our reliability so that I can finish some more races before the end of the season. Maybe we should book a trip to Lourdes.â€
