Vergne cautious, Kvyat a novice in Monaco

The two duettists from Toro Rosso are coming out of a complicated Spanish Grand Prix for the STR9s, with no points scored. If Jean-Eric Vergne was slowed down by an exhaust problem on his car, Danil Kvyat was not able to consistently collect points on the Catalan circuit. The Russian will face a completely different challenge this weekend in Monaco, on a track that is unknown to him. “I've never even been there as a tourist, explains the former GP3 Series champion. Of course, I watched a lot of Monaco races on TV and a lot of on-board cameras. But. This will really be a leap into the unknown for me, even though I have been working on the simulator. In fact, I have never raced on a street circuit. »

For Vergne, Monaco remains a good memory, since he scored points there for 8th place last year. “It's like a home race for me, given that there is no French Grand Prix on the calendar at the moment. (Which could change if the Magny-Cours negotiations, currently very advanced with the FOM, materialize. See our article from yesterday, Editor’s note) I've raced there twice in Formula One and both times went well. I think it's one of the toughest races and you should always come there with a humble mindset and never expect anything just because things went well the year before. I'm not going to be too confident. You have to work hard and not make mistakes and this requires much higher levels of concentration from the start to the end of the weekend. We will definitely be busy in the cockpit, but now we are used to the new procedures. »

Toro Rosso will once again aim for points, and will benefit from engine developments Renault as well as new fuel developed by Total, which would bring around 10 additional hp to the French turbo/hybrid V6.