Buemi vows to improve qualifying form

The Swiss driver came from 15th on the grid to eighth in Canada, even leading the race for a lap. But he admitted that starting so far down the grid risked wasting the car's potential.

"Our race pace was good, but where we suffered was in qualifying," he wrote in a diary column on the team's website, "because ending up 15th and 16th on the grid, behind the Williams was just not good enough.

"It's clear that we are much more competitive in the race than in qualifying, where we are not producing the results we want.

"We need to be starting the races from the top 10 or at a maximum in the top 12.

"I believe we and by that I mean, the drivers and the team, are not getting the most out of the new tyre on the first flying lap. This means our lap times are not good enough, whereas in the race, with a full fuel load, we are much better at getting the tyres to work properly."

Buemi remains optimistic about the forthcoming European Grand Prix, and believes that his team has to get a good qualifying performance if it is to have any chance of scoring big points on the tight street track.

"In Valencia, as I have already said, the main aim will be to qualify better, trying to get as close as possible to the top ten and then let's see what happens, because it's hard to make predictions until Friday practice," he said.

"Valencia has not yet delivered a very exciting race, but maybe this year it will be different."