Having impressed in Saturday morning practise, Sebastien Bourdais managed to infiltrate qualifying 2 for the second race in succession, whilst more experienced Red Bull stable-mate, David Coulthard, will find himself behind in the 17^th place grid slot for the second race in a row. Vettel managed 18^th position, which although is hugely disappointing, still relegated Force India to a more realistic 10^th row lockout. Somewhere in the distance, Mark Webber captured a brilliant 7^th on the grid to retain some credibility for the energy drink sponsored teams.

But whilst the quick Australian got on with the job at hand, I was trying to pick apart the performances from the first qualifying session. The poor pace of Vettel seems to be becoming more surprising as the season continues. He was expected to ignite the 2008 season after his promising qualifying in Australia. The reigning Champ Car champion, however, has been commanding most of the limelight within the Toro Rosso circle, although if last week’s unscheduled visit to the Barcelona wall for the new STR3 is anything to go by, not always for the driving skill which has been earning him the handshakes of his engineers. Vettel has to bounce back in future races if he is to confirm Helmut Marko’s belief that we will see the young German in the senior Red Bull team next season. Having retired in each of the first 3 grand prixs, he needs a strong showing in Spain to prove his credentials.

The new STR3 is the key to unleashing the potential of the squad, in my view. There will be glum faces in Istanbul if the Toro Rosso trucks arrive in Turkey with the same Q1/Q2 borderline STR2, and presumably if David Coulthard returns to a more representational grid slot, Q1 will be the extent of the car’s ability. Bourdais and Vettel have been remarkably patient with a car that appears difficult to handle, and although Vettel continues to defend the decision to begin the 2008 season with last year’s RB3 chassis, there is thirst for the new and hopefully more competetive STR3.

Tomorrow’s race, however, does not promise to be particularly spectacular. Vettel and Bourdais will need to work hard to keep up with the cars ahead, although the limitations of using the modified 2007 RB3 will begin to show, especially if the Force India team live up to the expectation after their solid performance in yesterday’s free practise. If pace is anything to go by, we should see Coulthard moving through the field comfortably, with Webber odds on to pick up more points for the third race in a row. We’ll have to wait and see if the Toro Rosso team can make the most of any opportunities that come their way. Heavy fuel loads, however, seem to beckon for the majority of the Red Bull stable this weekend. Roll on Istanbul.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Free Practice 1 & 2 Report

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

• Think you know your sport? Click here to try the Sportnetwork Prize Quizzes