Toro Rosso will not run its F-duct at the Korean Grand Prix

I am doing this diary entry from Paris airport on my way to Seoul in Korea and I have had a packed schedule since the Japanese Grand Prix almost two weeks ago.

I left Suzuka and headed immediately for the UK to work on the simulator, trying out the new Korean circuit. From there I finally headed home to Barcelona, where I found time to unwind after Japan and then get on with my training programme. I also spent as much time as possible on the computer, again practicing the Korean track: it might not be as evolved as the proper simulator, but all the same you can learn from it.

My initial impression of the new circuit is that it seems quite interesting with plenty of high speed areas, but some slow turns too and overall it was fun to drive on the simulator. The key will be to have a good Friday, making the most of free practice when it will be interesting to see if the real thing turns out to be like the computer version. Just before heading for Korea, I drove the STR5 in our last aero test of the season, when we took the decision not to run the F-Duct in Korea. It was not producing the results we expected, which is a shame as it would have been an advantage for us given the layout of this circuit. I am still optimistic about the weekend, because this track is new for everyone and the simulation tools the teams have will not be based on any previous data, which could put the big and small teams on a more equal footing. So if we hit on something good in terms of running the car and work intelligently, maybe we can get a good result. Anyway, I’m looking forward to it as discovering a new track, a new country and a new culture is always exciting.

From Jaime Alguersuari’s blog on www.tororosso.com