Daniel Ricciardo: “I could have done better but I'm happy with my first points in F1”

La Toro Rosso had a decent weekend, bringing one car into the points and another just outside the top 10, and can count among the positive notes the excellent comeback of Daniel Ricciardo who, after a contact with his compatriot Mark Webber at the first corner, had fallen to last position and yet with an excellent race he managed to climb up to take ninth position and consequently two world championship points in his home race. French, however, is a little in the shade Jean-Eric Vergne who contested a race without infamy and without praise, however demonstrating little coolness (and perhaps even luck) in the brawl of the final laps in which perhaps he could have gathered something more.

Daniel Ricciardo – ninth: “I honestly don't know what happened on the last lap. I saw the blue flags and many cars in front of me and I was sure that I could recover at least one position because it was chaos. I was a little lucky to be last in the group because I could have a very clear view of the other cars. So I had a chance to attack Jean-Eric. He defended himself in the corner and I had thought about staying behind to avoid damage, this decision helped me as in the final chaos I found myself ninth. The last laps were really crazy and I was pushing devastatingly.”

“At the start I had a small accident and on site I didn't understand how it happened or who could be to blame. I had made a decent start and moved to the outside but there were too many of us. I hit the front left side of a Williams and had to go back in to change the nose. I had to run with some minor damage after this fight. Finishing ninth is a good result, but I think I could have done more because the car was very strong, and also fast considering the damage I had throughout the race with the car moving from one side of the track to the other. It wasn't easy to recover, but I never gave up pushing throughout the race. I'm extremely happy and it's fantastic to get my first F1 points here at my home race in Australia where the crowds have been fantastic all weekend."

Jean-Eric Vergne – eleventh: “I made a super start, gaining a few positions, but when Webber touched the right rear side I had to lift my foot and consequently lost some time. After this it was complicated and I was slowed down by the cars in front of me, I couldn't pass even if they were slower than me. So I tried to pass Di Resta, I made a small mistake, braking a little too late and I ended up in the gravel. Even though I had dirty and damaged tires, I managed to set some excellent times. It's just a shame how the race ended, I tried to recover but in the end I lost a lot of ground. These are the races, I learned a lot in my first F1 race and there are still 19 races later I can get points. The car seems to be working well and we've been competitive all weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting back on track in Malaysia in a couple of days."

Stefano Rifici