The
two Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers', Jaime Alguersuari and
Sebastien Buemi effectively ended any slim challenge for
points paying positions when they tangled on the first
lap of this afternoon's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
The incident resulted in the Swiss driver retiring immediately
while his Spaniard team mate was forced to pit for a new nosecone
in the Ferrari V8-powered STR5 and then begin the lonely
task of chasing down the rest of the field.
Alguersuari eventually crossed the
finishing line in
fifteenth spot in this afternoon's 67-lap race, the same
position that he had started from on the grid from and a lap down on
the winning Ferrari F10 of Fernando Alonso.
Today's zero points score
leaves Scuderia Toro Rosso still on 10 points in the
Formula 1 constructors' standings without a single point
from the last two races, a slump in form after the
Faenza, Italy-based outfit picked up 6 points from the
previous two grands prix: Canada (4) and Europe,
Valencia (2). The team is five points adrift of its
nearest rival, the similarly Ferrari-powered BMW Sauber
team.
Jaime Alguersuari (STR5-03)
Pos. 15th
“Regarding the incident with
Sebastien, I was on the inside going into Turn 6 and I
braked well leaving enough space, but there seemed to be
some problems in front of me, as the cars ahead all
slowed much more than is normal. I braked again, but it
was not enough and I drove into him. Naturally, I am
sorry for that. I had to pit for a new nose and we
switched to the soft tyres at that point, having started
on the hards. In terms of performance, the car was quite
fast and I was able to do some good lap times. I am
looking forward to doing better in Hungary, a circuit
where at least I have already driven a Formula 1 car
last year.”
Sebastien Buemi (STR5-02)
Retired
“I made a really good start and
was able to pass three or four cars and then when we
came to the hairpin, I was braking in the middle of the
corner and my team-mate came from a long way back and
ended up driving onto the top of my car. The damage was
too bad for me to continue, which is a real shame after
I had got such a quick start.”
