Buemi not afraid to return to Toro Rosso cockpit

Sebastien Buemi insists he will have no qualms about returning to the wheel of his Toro Rosso on Saturday.

In initial practice for the Chinese grand prix, the 21-year-old Swiss had a scary incident when both wheels sheared off at high speed.

He appeared shaken once he had returned to the garage, and was “quiet” as he went off to the circuit medical centre for a routine check, his team boss Franz Tost revealed.

Buemi could not return to the track in the afternoon because his STR5 was still being repaired, but he insists he will not give a second thought to stepping back into the cockpit on qualifying day in Shanghai.

“For me, in the car, it was no problem,” Buemi told reporters, revealing that his biggest disappointment was the thought of how much practice time he would lose.

“The run-off area is huge and no matter how it looked, for me it was no big deal.”

Asked how the incident dents a driver’s confidence, he answered: “Hardly at all.  Something can always break.  We will replace the parts and think nothing more about it.”

As for whether he is worried the same thing might happen on Saturday, Buemi said: “No.”

© RIF|GMM