Vergne happy to make weight against Ricciardo

Si Toro Rosso still seems to be struggling to secure a significant top ten points finish, the internal battle between Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo occupies the minds of Red Bull. The Frenchman was eager to face his direct rival on the Monaco circuit. When the two competitors were competing in Formula Renault 3.5 Series, the Australian signed two consecutive victories while the Frenchman barely achieved a 12th place. If the day was disrupted by the arrival of rain in the afternoon, JEV gained confidence by ahead of the second STR7 in both sessions.

“This is the first time I’ve driven a F1 here and I really like it », comments Jean-Eric at the end of his first day of testing on the Rock. “I was a little apprehensive today because I didn't do particularly well in the World Series by Renault last year. This experience was new and I didn't know what to expect. I think my performances are quite good compared to those of my teammate Daniel who won the last two World Series races held on this circuit and who also trained with an F1 car last year. I am satisfied with the balance of the car but I still have to adapt more to the track even if I felt comfortable when the track was wet. »