Mat Coch writes:

Clutch problems for both Toro Rosso drivers in Singapore muddied what was otherwise a positive weekend, according to Jean-Eric Vergne.

Writing on his blog the Frenchman claims that, while the Toro Rosso car was never ideally suited to the Marina Bay circuit, the weekend was better than it ultimately looked on paper.

"For both of us the race went wrong at the start," writes Vergne. "We both had some clutch behaviour problems that compromised us badly."

Both Toro Rossos dropped down the order after slow getaways, Ricciardo losing five places and Vergne three by the end of the first lap. The team's frustration was compounded when an error from the Australian on lap 24 ended his race against a tyre barrier while his teammate struggled with handling problems.

"I had a lot of understeer," he claimed. "We were adding a lot of front flap in each stop but for some reason we couldn't dial it out."

Switched to a three-stop strategy to counter higher than expected tyre wear Vergne began to look threatening in the final stages of the race. "But then I had some more problems and in the end we had to turn down the engine a bit," added the 23-year-old. "I was then defending a lot (which) finished my tyres."

It marked the sixth consecutive race without points for Vergne, who has scored thirteen so far this season and currently sits fifteenth in the Drivers' Championship. Teammate Ricciardo sits fourteenth with 18 points.

Toro Rosso heads to Korea locked in battle with Sauber for seventh place in the Constructors' Championship; the Swiss team having scored thirteen points in the last five races while Toro Rosso has managed just seven.