Jean-Eric Vergne reckons Toro Rosso too slow in Montreal practice

The Frenchman finished the first two practice sessions in 16th and 19th positions respectively, and while he was happy to get through his entire programme, Vergne admitted that the outright pace just was not there.

"The day went smoothly, because even if there were a couple of red flags and a few drops of rain, we managed to get through all our programme, completing a good number of laps," he said.

"However, at the moment, we are a bit too slow and must work hard overnight to find some speed from the data. On the long runs with more fuel, we were looking better than the short ones."

Although slower than Vergne in both sessions, Daniel Ricciardo was more upbeat about Toro Rosso's early progress.

"We ran the usual Friday programme, with the exception that we had some new parts to try, including wings aimed specifically at this track which needs the lowest levels of downforce so far this season," the Australian said.

"Apart from that, we also evaluated some updates concerning the exhausts.

"The car ran trouble-free so I was able to complete a lot of laps. We can improve the balance, but we have started on the right foot, because even on a dirty track this morning the car felt quite good and the balance in terms of braking was fine.

"I expect tomorrow's performance will be more representative of our real pace. Hopefully, we can qualify well and have a good weekend."