Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost admitted the Hungarian Grand Prix was a tough one for the Faenza based squad, and he is concerned about how close the battle has become between themselves and McLaren-Honda in the Constructors’ Championship, with the Woking based squad now just seven points adrift.
The fact that Fernando Alonso was able to keep STR driver Carlos Sainz Jnr behind him for the entire race, shows how far McLaren-Honda have advanced, and whilst they can continue to make PU upgrades for the rest of the season, Toro Rosso must remain with the same engine they started with, something that may prove to be a handicap come the end of the year.
For now however, Tost is confident that with their strong chassis they will be able to maintain their current position in the table, and believes his young drivers have the ability to pull off the strong performances they need to remain in the midfield fight.
“Today was not an easy race, as the teams in the midfield are very close together.
“Alonso was able to gain a position at the start of the race and after that it wasn’t possible for Carlos to overtake him. He therefore finished in eighth position, which on one side is good because we could add some points to our tally, but on the other side McLaren scored more than us and is now very close to us in the Constructors’ Championship.
“This will make it tricky for us during the next races, but I think that our chassis is performing very well and we still have a good chance to defend our position.
“Daniil had a problem at the start which we have to investigate, as this made him lose many positions. It’s a shame, as his pace during the race was very competitive, especially on the Super Soft tyres.
“We now look forward and work hard to prepare for next week’s race at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany.”
