Scuderia Toro Rosso's interest in this afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix had ceased completely by the time the field streamed out of the second bend as the two Ferrari-powered STR4 cars collided with each other after they were the innocent parties during a first corner fracas.

Scuderia Toro Rosso's interest in this afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix had ceased completely by the time the field streamed out of the second bend as the two Ferrari-powered STR4 cars collided with each other after they were the innocent parties during a first corner fracas.

Things had looked more promising for the Red Bull-owned and sponsored team from Faenza in Italy as the weekend in Barcelona got underway on Friday. The team believed that it had made a competitive step forward although circumstances conspired to prevent the drivers from properly showing the improvements after Sebastien Buemi qualified in fifteen place, two grid slots ahead of team mate Sebastien Bourdais. "Here in Spain we have benefited from the introduction the 'Melbourne' specification package, as used by Red Bull Racing from the first race," commented Technical Director Giorgio Ascanelli. "We could and should have got both cars into Q2. Everyone else has also made a step forwards, but compared to the others, I think we have made a bigger step, which should have moved us up the scale of values.

However the race quickly went all wrong for the Toro Rosso drivers as after the green light, just as the cars raced through the second left hand bend, Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota) pushed the slow-starting Jarno Trulli (Toyota) off the track. Trulli spun into the gravel and back out, heading straight into the path of Adrian Sutil (Force India-Mercedes) who had taken a short cut through the corner and who collected him. As Buemi braked hard to avoid the spinning Toyota his team mate Bourdais was unsighted and the Frenchman ran into the back of the Swiss youngster's car eliminating both cars on the spot.

Sebastien Bourdais: (STR4-02): "I became aware everything was slowing down in front and I didn't even have the time to brake before I was flying over the back of my team-mate's car and I thought I was going to roll over. I'm not sure how it happened although I saw that Trulli had spun and came back on the track. It's very frustrating."

Sebastien Buemi (STR4-01): "I'm not really sure what happened. I do know that I didn't get a very good start, so that Raikkonen and Kovalainen overtook me before the first corner. Then, at the exit of the second corner, Trulli spun and I had to brake to avoid him. My team mate did not see I was slowing down and could not avoid me. His car went over mine, I saw his tyre go over my head and that was it."

Franz Tost: "When you start at the back end of the grid, there is always a bigger risk of getting involved in an accident. Unfortunately today, Trulli went off and spun back on again, forcing Buemi to lift and Bourdais just crashed into the back of him. On a more positive note, the new package we introduced here does seem to be a step forward in terms of car performance. Now we must try and make better use of it in the next few races."