Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix – 1 race, 24 different reactions! (Part 5)
Toro Rosso
Sebastian Buemi believed that it was a fine race for the team and was extremely happy to score a point. On the down side, it was a touch frustrating as, in the latter part of the race; he was lapping Rubens Barrichello by nearly a second a lap and felt that
had he switched to the option tyre sooner, things might have been a touch different. Qualifying was a little dampening as the Toro Rosso driver felt that the floor of the car had a problem. He suggested that the predicament was an important factor for him
failing to get into the second qualifying session for the first time this season.
Jamie Alguersuari was well prepared for heading into a tough weekend and the events that unfolded proved exactly why. The Spaniard did concede that he aimed to qualify a touch higher though. From the start of the race, the young driver pushed as hard as
his machine could go to try and stay in contention. He touched upon the incident that saw hometown hero, Kobayashi, getting past him.
The Toro Rosso driver argued that despite facing a superior challenge with the Sauber in his rear view mirror, he fought as hard as he could to retain his spot. Disappointingly, the competitiveness of both drivers saw both cars make contact. While Kobayashi’s
car was able to continue its exploits on track, Alguersuari had to dive into the pits to get a new nose installed on his car. The Spanish driver hoped that his team principal took a note of his determination and was extremely happy for his team mate who managed
to score a point for the team.
Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen was a touch blunt to start of. Calling it a ‘wicked race’, that brought out the best out of him, his team mate and the whole team. His strategy involved starting with the soft compound Bridgestones, which he admitted was a bit of a gamble.
The introduction of the safety car didn’t help as he stayed out on track and was unable to realise the true potential of his rubber. The game plan was to open up enough of a gap to be able to make his scheduled visit to pit lane without losing a spot to the
drivers behind and it felt rather rewarding accomplishing that feat.
However, his return to the track wasn’t all smooth as he narrowly missed Jarno Trulli on his out lap. The switch to the harder tyres was even better; the car felt brilliant. Using the increased amount of grip from his new set of rubber, the Finn really enjoyed
being able to push for the rest of the race. The Lotus race pace was remarkable as it was lapped only once on track – A circuit where Kovalinen felt that they had to perform and felt content admitting that he and the team got the most of the car. Overall,
an amazing day for the team that brought them another step closer to their targeted 10th place constructor finish this season.
Jarno Trulli seconded his team mate’s remarks and admitted that Japan proved to be a fruitful outing for the team. The Italian driver was extremely happy with the result and congratulated his team mate, Kovalainen, for his impressive show on the track. After
making a reasonably good start, Trulli decided to come into the pits while the safety car was employed. Opting for the prime tyres, the Lotus came out bheind Yamamto and was instantly able to catch up and was able to get past pretty quickly as well. It was
a strong, retire-free run from the acclaimed unrealible Lotus car. However, it was not all that sunny. The car developed a hydraulics problem in the dying laps of the race. On the plus side, the Italian was still able to get the car home in one piece which
was an achievement in itself.
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