Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda Team Principal Franz Tost hailed a productive first pre-season test in Barcelona and is already looking forward to the season opener in Australia.
After being head of the Italian F1 outfit since 2006, Tost hailed his two drivers Daniil Kyvat and Alex Albon who drove a total of 482 laps between them and looked in fine form with their lightening-quick times.
“The first pre-season test in Barcelona was a successful one for Toro Rosso.” said Tost. “The car ran well throughout the four days and we saw good results from both the performance side and the reliability.
“It was the first time in the STR14 for Daniil and Alex, who both did a very good job and gave positive feedback about the car and the Honda Power Unit.”
Despite being pleased with Kyvat and Albon, Tost says the data collected from the Barcelona run-out has given the team food for thought ahead of next week’s second testing session.
Kyvat and Albon landed the second and third fastest lap times in Barcelona but Tost insisted the team can make further improvements to the STR14 Before the season starts at Albert Park, Melbourne, later this month.
He added: “There is still a lot of work in front of us to further improve the car. The team did a great job as we ended the first test with a total of 482 laps.
“This gave us a lot of data and we now have a long list of test items for next week to make further steps forward.
“The weather was very good in Barcelona this year as the wind wasn’t blowing so heavily and we reached reasonably good track temperatures, which allowed us to get some productive running – especially in the afternoon sessions.
“This means the test results are quite valid for the start of the season in Melbourne.”
