Franz Tost believes fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship is once again well within Scuderia Toro Rosso’s grasp in 2016, despite falling short of that target in 2015 due to poor reliability.
Speaking at the opening of the new factory in Faenza, Italy, Tost believes with a reliable car, Toro Rosso have a good opportunity to be regular points scorers, and should the new Ferrari-powered car see the chequered flag in every race then a top five finish in championship isn’t out of the question.
“This season the target is as well the top five,” said Tost. “Last year we couldn’t achieve it because we simply missed the reliability that you need to achieve this goal.
“We had 12 non-finishes: two were caused by drivers but the rest were by the team. I hope this year we will see the chequered flag at all the races, and if this is the case then I am convinced that the team is in the position to finish in the top five.”
Tost believes the 2016 STR11, the first since they reunited with Ferrari after two years with Renault-power, should enable the team to move forward, and give Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr the opportunity to perform at a high level.
“I think the new car, the STR11, is a competitive car,” he explained. “All the data from the aerodynamic side shows quite good results
“Also, we are together with Ferrari, which will help us improve the performance for sure. Plus we have two highly talented drivers who showed good performance last year.
“They are experienced now, as it is their second season. They know all the race tracks, they know how the teams work and they know their life in F1, therefore, I expect also from their side, a real good performance.”
