Toro Rosso does not aim to beat Red Bull
Author of a promising start to the season, Toro Rosso, through its director Franz Tost, declares that it does not have the ultimate goal of beating its big sister Red Bull, despite the latter being less performant at the start of the year.
In Malaysia, the two young Toro Rosso drivers, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr, finished the race in brilliant 7th and 8th places, ahead of the two Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat.
The observation of seeing Toro Rosso dominate Red Bull in pure performance did not go unnoticed and was reminiscent of the 2008 season when the Faenza team, with Sebastian Vettel in their ranks, had beaten the Austrian team in the championship.
However, Toro Rosso does not want to get carried away and reminds that its main objective remains securing fifth place in the constructors’ championship, in order to beat its best result from 2008: « Our goal is not to finish ahead of Red Bull. Our goal is to end the season in fifth place in the constructors’ championship. No matter who is in front of us, I don’t care. If we don’t score points, we won’t achieve our objectives. » states Franz Tost to Autosport.
For his part, James Key, the technical director, confirms the progress made by his team during the winter: “People seem somewhat skeptical when we say this, but we know we have made a significant step forward during the winter. But we take nothing for granted. The other teams we are competing against are large structures with a lot of resources, so it won’t be easy for us, but we have to try,” he explains before continuing: “The good thing is that everyone realizes we have made a reasonable effort. Psychologically, it makes a big difference.”
