Toro Rosso sees Caterham as a rival
Franz Tost believes that Caterham's development should allow it to regularly compete in the middle of the pack in 2012. It's a new rival that Toro Rosso will have to contend with.
Franz Tost, the director of Scuderia Toro Rosso, believes that in 2012, the Italian team will face a new rival. He indeed thinks that the Caterham team has made significant progress this season, and this could allow them to compete more regularly in the midfield.
Moreover, having two experienced drivers who have been with the team for two years – Kovalainen and Trulli, while Toro Rosso has just recruited two young drivers, could also play a role. Team Caterham entered F1 in 2010, at the same time as Marussia and HRT, but these two latter teams have not evolved as quickly, and Tost therefore believes that only Caterham is a new rival.
« Our main rivals are Sauber, Force India, and Caterham. Caterham has built a good infrastructure. They have the Renault engine, they have the Red Bull KERS, and that means their package is good from a technical standpoint. They have two experienced drivers and I expect them to become our rivals this year, » said Franz Tost yesterday following the launch of the STR7.
But despite the arrival of this new competition, the team from Faenza has its own roadmap. The 2012 season must be better than the 2011 season. The goal is to gain a position in the constructors’ championship.
“Our goal is seventh place. We need to be better than last year, where we finished in eighth position,” added Tost.
