26/05/2019
NEWS STORY
Daniil Kvyat: "We had a very strong Qualifying yesterday and capped it off with a strong race today, so it's a nice feeling. I was a sitting duck at the start of the race: Gasly had a clean braking move on the outside, while I was on the inside line and I couldn't change it - someone must have taken it easy into the corner and it caused a chain reaction. However, I'm very happy because I think it was a really strong race for us. We can be satisfied with the amount of points we brought home today and with how we managed the race - the teamwork was fantastic, the support I got from everyone was great! P7 is a great result in Monaco. We have been working hard over the past few weeks to see where we need to improve and what I need to go faster, and we found it. Now we just need to find it every weekend, so we can continue to score a good amount of points. The car is performing well so we have to keep developing it in the same direction."
Alexander Albon: "I've got to say a big thanks to the team because the strategy was fantastic! We knew there was the chance to get into the points today, and we did a good job to make it happen. It was tricky out there because you spend the whole race close behind other cars, you have to make sure you don't brake late or lock up otherwise your race is over. The most difficult part of the day was managing the tyres, as the Softs don't really like to last that long, so they begin to degrade and vibrate. Still, it was good fun out there and great to have both cars finish in the points!"
Jody Egginton (Technical Director): "Following a positive Saturday with both cars qualifying inside the top ten, we have been able to finish the job today and secure points with both drivers finishing P7 and P8 today, which is fantastic. With the threat of rain looming in the background, we have decided to manage the first stint tyres to keep open as many strategy options as possible. There was a risk of rain, which did not arrive, but we were ready and everything worked out, with the drivers doing a fantastic job to manage the tyres and then push when requested. On the operational side the team did a good job today, with solid pit stops and good pitwall communication - we have been rewarded with the points we deserved. The season is long but the STR14 is responding well to development, so we are confident we can make further gains."
Franz Tost (Team Principal): "From the beginning of the weekend onwards, Toro Rosso showed a strong performance here in Monaco. We qualified in P8 and P10 and ended the race in seventh and eighth position. I must say we are very satisfied to finish such an important and difficult race inside the top 10. The start of the race was ok, the drivers had a good first lap. After that, the main goal was to save the tyres, not to overshoot and suffer from graining. Both Dany and Alex managed to do this in a very professional way. The strategy was good, first because we stayed out when the SC was deployed, then to call both drivers in at the perfect time and keep Grosjean behind us. These are 10 important points for us, so congratulations to the drivers and to the team for a good and competitive weekend, I am really satisfied to see four Honda-powered cars within the first eight at the end of the race. Now let's get ready for Canada, where we hope to continue scoring points."
Toyoharu Tanabe (Honda F1 Technical Director): "A strong performance resulting in all four cars finishing in the points, in the top eight. Both teams performed strongly all weekend and managed the race strategy very well. Now, we take a break from Europe and head to Montreal. The track there is very different to this one, so we will be working hard on our PU development before going to Canada."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Monaco, here.