Tost: « Bourdais will soon be a feared driver! »

Bourdais joined Toro Rosso after winning four Champ Car titles, and although it takes some time to adapt to F1 cars, Tost believes the Frenchman will match his teammate Sebastian Vettel.

« During the winter, we drove a high number of kilometers, which allowed Bourdais to get used to a new car. That is to say, both getting used to the grooved tires and to the fact that the car ‘moves forward on its own’ compared to a Champ Car, » said Tost on the team’s official website.

All these factors combined are not easy for a new F1 driver to manage, but to date, Sébastien has done a very good job. He will need to get used to the pace of a full F1 weekend, and the first Grand Prix will sometimes be challenging for him, but I think he will be one to watch from the fifth or sixth race.

With a good driver line-up, Tost is optimistic about Toro Rosso’s chances to improve their performance this year, 2008.

« The two drivers have a good relationship with the team and I hope this will impact our race results, » he added.

« Toro Rosso has a chance to improve on this seventh place, which was theirs in 2007. We are constantly optimizing our infrastructure with new work areas and new machines. Step by step, we want to close the gap with the mid-field teams. »

Tost also stated that he hoped to see Toro Rosso gain performance where other teams might have a bit more difficulty. For good reason, the small Scuderia has decided to keep its 2007 car for a few Grand Prix. They believe that this element could pay off since the other teams will be dealing with mechanical issues from their new cars.

« We will start the new season with the STR2B, that is to say last year’s car with a few modifications, mainly to comply with the new regulations, » explained Tost.

We expect a high level of reliability in our first four races. This is a key element for delivering good results during this period.