Toro Rosso: Alguersuari battles Buemi for point

2011 British GP team review

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The Red Bull drivers may not be allowed to race each other, but that’s clearly not the case at Toro Rosso.

The balance of power between Toro Rosso’s drivers has shifted in recent races and at Silverstone it created a riveting battle between the pair on the track.

Sebastien BuemiJaime Alguersuari
Qualifying position1918
Qualifying time comparison (Q1)1’35.698 (+0.453)1’35.245
Race position10
Laps25/5252/52
Pit stops22

Toro Rosso drivers’ lap times throughout the race (in seconds):

https://www.racefans.net/charts/2011drivercolours.csv

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152
Sebastien Buemi128.553116.304115.5115.077114.924114.652114.035114.668113.963113.539108.957132.323108.098105.061103.89102.835102.018102.076102.409101.82100.546100.602100.425100.22497.345
Jaime Alguersuari127.697116.303115.254115.423116.185114.772113.768112.91114.176113.692111.275108.377126.545105.43103.428102.976102.783102.755101.891100.932100.198100.42199.93499.699.888100.88101.059100.7799.98999.42196.197116.65198.60797.42298.13297.42497.24997.1697.42697.65797.24797.23297.64197.56297.33897.85297.86797.97798.22798.92399.213100.568

Sebastien Buemi

Both Toro Rosso drivers missed the chance to set a time on soft tyres before the rain fell in Q1. Buemi started a season-worst 19th on the grid.

He made up ground at the start and passed his team mate on lap five. Buemi then dived past Vitaly Petrov on the inside at Brooklands.

Alguersuari followed him by at Copse, and a few laps later took the place back from his team mate.

Buemi continued chasing Alguersuari after they had stopped for slick tyres. But on lap 25 a delayed Paul di Resta came out of the pits behind Buemi and tried to pass him.

The Force India’s front wing tore Buemi’s left-rear tyre at Brooklands, and the resulting damage ended Buemi’s race.

Afterwards he said: “I would like to see the footage with Di Resta again to see exactly what happened, but from the cockpit, I was on the dry line, he tried to come up the inside of me where the track surface was still very wet.

“So he could not brake as hard as if he had been on the dry and I felt an impact. He had touched my left rear tyre which shredded it. But that’s racing, so it’s best to forget it and start thinking about the next race at the Nurburgring.”

Sebastien Buemi 2011 form guide

Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, Silverstone, 2011

Jaime Alguersuari

After his early battle with Buemi, Alguersuari picked off Kamui Kobayashi around the outside at Luffield and went off in pursuit of Nick Heidfeld.

He wasn’t able to pass the Renault, and on lap 33 he was caught by Michael Schumacher. The Mercedes driver launched up the inside of him at Stowe to claim ninth place.

That left Alguersuari tenth, giving him his third consecutive points finish.

“I was definitely faster than Heidfeld and Schumacher, around most of the lap, as was the case in Valencia,” he said.

“But we could not make the most of this as I then lost out to them going down the straight. I’m not sure why that was the case, maybe we ran with a bit more downforce than them.”

Jaime Alguersuari 2011 form guide

2011 British Grand Prix

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    Keith Collantine
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    20 comments on “Toro Rosso: Alguersuari battles Buemi for point”

    1. Interesting how just like last year Alguersuari had a weaker start of the year but got stronger as the season progresses.

      But none of these two can be deemed a successor to either Vettel or Webber at Red bull.

      1. But none of these two can be deemed a successor to either Vettel or Webber at Red bull.

        For sure. None of them has emerged as a clear victor in their own team battle. So that could mean that they are both really strong drivers or both really mediocre. I believe that it is the latter..

        1. So Buemi and Alguersuari will swap seats with Vettel and Webber!

          1. Brilliant Idea!

            1. It would be good fun to watch all four cars race each other.

      2. Yea, they’re not exactly screaming to be thrown in Webber’s seat at the moment.

    2. I think the problem for Buemi and Algersuari is that the Red Bull is currently too good for them. Both BUE and ALG are doing a solid job this year, I think, fighting and occasionally scoring points.

      However, to put them in a championship-winning car would be a little bit flattering of their performances. If RBR were at the level of Mercedes, for example, then promotion would have been a much more realistic prospect.

      1. Hadn’t thought of it in those terms, but you’re right. It would be a much bigger risk to put a driver from that far back the grid in the RB7 than the W02.

    3. Buemi has balance both in quali and race. ALG did good job in recent racec but he’s getting used starting from 18th. I can see why Helmut Marko put Ricciardo not in STR but HRT. Surely he need more time to judge.

    4. Too early to say about Alguersuari that he is mediocre… He needed only one thing – sorting out the tyre problems… He achieved that and he is back where he was at the end of last year – ahead of Buemi… And btw. his first race in F1 even without experience was much better then Ricciardos who is hailed and praised for nothing… Formula One is not Formula Renault…

      1. You cant judge the potential of a driver in one race in an HRT. To be fair.. Alguersuari didn’t have to drive that garbage can on wheels called HRT.

        1. And also to be fair, Alguersuari finished in his debut Formula One race WITHOUT ANY TESTING EXPIERIENCE ahead of his teammate Buemi and definitely not one lap down…

          1. As I said.. ONE RACE is a little too quick to judge either ways.

          2. Buemi had a bad race though didn’t he, leading Jaime until he spun at turn 2 near the end of the race? And Buemi wasn’t exactly an experienced racer either.

            I don’t think the situations are comparable.

            1. Yes, Buemi had a spin, but it was not Alguersuari s fault, or? :) Pacewise he was some 2 tenths behind in that race, while Ricciardo was really off the pace in Silverstone…

    5. I was sat at Luffield and the Toro Rosso battle was one of the greatest to watch.

      Buemi took the inside line while Alguersuari took a much wider one. This meant the two were pretty much side by side for the first 15 laps. Buemi would be leading, then Alguersuari, then Buemi.

      Red Bull may have not let their drivers race but Toro Rosso certainly did.

      1. Buemi later dropped 5 seconds behind…

    6. Well done Alguersuari, he seems to cope well under pressure! It must take a kick up his backside to get him out and actually doing a decent job.

    7. Something for their elder team to learn from them as people go to the race to see wheel to wheel racing not team orders!

    8. Watching from Vale was great to see the Toro Rosso’s battling hard against each other. We also saw Schumachers move on Alguersuari which was a great move on the inside into Stowe.

      It’s good to see Toro Rosso getting points most weeks now, I’m glad they aren’t at the back of the midfield now.

      Also their cars look fricking awesome close up!

    Comments are closed.