Jean-Eric Vergne adamant he has learned from penalty for Valencia clash with Heikki Kovalainen

The Frenchman, who retired from the race following the accident in Valencia, admitted that the incident (which also cost him a 25,000 euro fine) is not something he intends to repeat.

"I had a reset definitely," said Vergne. "Valencia was quite a hard weekend and I made a mistake definitely and I paid for it in cash!

"I think I deserved it, but whether it is good or not is not for me to judge. The only thing that I can say is that I have learned from it and I won't do this kind of mistake any more. All that's gone though, it's over, I've passed to something else now and I am really looking forward to this race weekend."

Vergne, who has been overshadowed by his Toro Rosso team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, says that he is focussed on improving his qualifying form - which he identifies as the weakest area in his game so far in his Formula 1 rookie season.

"I think it is probably the most difficult thing for me at the moment," he said. "It's quite difficult, it's not like we are always running in qualifying conditions through free practice.

"We never have the same fuel in, and having a lower-fuelled car is quite a bit different in the way you have to push with it, so that's why it is a bit tricky at the moment. But I will still work, I think the performances in the race are always really good, or at least always much better than our performance in qualifying.

"Looking at the performance in the race, we know we can have the same in the qualifying we just need to work that way. It will get better and better, it's just patience."

Vergne also admitted that it was taking time to come to terms with not being a contender for victory every weekend, having been a frontrunner in previous categories, and that it was taking a while to readjust his perspectives.

"Confidence is really important," he said. "When you are a driver that is used to winning everything in all the other categories, even if you know you are coming to F1 and that you might not win, that you won't get podiums or even that it will be difficult to score points, you think it's going to be OK when you are at the back of the grid or if you make a good race ,and you finish it quite far off, it's of course a little bit difficult for me.

"In the end I learn from it and I will just try to be more satisfied with the race even if the result is not fantastic. I think we need a positive spirit that will bring us closer to the front. I'm sure that's what we are doing.

"We are working hard in a good way and the result will come, maybe not now, maybe not in three races, but it can only get better I think."