Scuderia Toro Rosso team members managed to watch some of the Italy v Slovakia World Cup game on Thursday, in between preparing for the European Formula One Grand Prix and, after the heartbreaking disappointment of watching the ‘Azzurri’ knocked out of the competition, everyone is determined to produce a Sunday race result worth cheering about.
That job got off to a good start with the two STR5s running like clockwork for all three hours around the Valencia street circuit today.
After two previous visits to this relatively new venue, everyone knew what to expect, namely a dirty track providing very little grip for the tyres in the morning, with a rapid and significant improvement in the afternoon. In this type of situation, with lap times coming down by around three seconds, it is always tricky for drivers and engineers to assess how much of the speed is coming from the track and how much from set-up changes on the car.
On his way to 18th fastest, Jaime Alguersuari completed a total of 57 laps which equates exactly to Sunday’s race distance, while Sébastien Buemi, who ended the day in sixteenth spot did one lap more than his team-mate.
The fact that Fernando Alonso topped the time sheet in his Ferrari will hopefully draw the fans for Saturday’s qualifying session, especially as Spain’s next World Cup game takes place tonight, so that particular distraction will be out of the way.
Next up were the Red Bull Racing duo of Sebastian Vettel ahead of Mark Webber, with Nico Rosberg fourth for Mercedes. Fifth was Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren with Robert Kubica completing the top six for Renault.
Naturally, the Spanish celebrities are out in force this weekend and the Toro Rosso camp can boast one of the best as none other than multiple world rallying legend, Carlos Sainz watched today's practice from our hospitality area with the Alguersuari family.
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