Pierre Gasly believes there is potential for Scuderia Toro Rosso to cause some surprises in 2018 despite the Faenza-based squad having switched to Honda power, with the Japanese engine manufacturer having struggled for performance and reliability during their three-year alliance with the McLaren F1 Team.
The Frenchman, who will be competing in his first full season in Formula 1 after five starts with Toro Rosso at the end of 2017, says the improvement Honda made between the start and end of last season gives him some belief, and he hopes that the momentum can carry through into the 2018 campaign.
After a year back with Renault power, Toro Rosso made the decision mid-way through 2017 to switch to Honda, and they will be the sole engine partners of the Japanese manufacturer, and Gasly insists this will give them an advantage, as their full focus will be on them.
“Their goal is to prove to everyone that they can make fast engines,” said Gasly to GPUpdate. “We are the only ones to have their engines, so we’re sure they’ll give everything they can to give the best treatment and there will be no compromise.
“I think this is positive thing, they will have an extra three or four months to improve before the beginning of the year. At the moment they are definitely improving; when you look at the McLarens, they are much better now [at the end of the season] than like six months ago.
“If they manage to keep this momentum I think it will be a good move and I think it will surprise everyone in a nice way, so let’s hope it can happen.”
