Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost has all the ingredients ready for the start of the Formula 1 season after a successful pre-season testing programme in Barcelona.
After completing 935 laps between them, Daniil Kyvat and Alexander Albon impressed in the STR14 but it was the reliability of the Honda engine which left Tost very happy indeed.
“The synergies project has delivered what we expected, which means we had quite a reliable car from the very beginning, having covered 4,352 km between the two tests without any major problems.” said Tost.
“We experienced some little issues here and there which is normal at this stage of the season, but all of those were immediately addressed and certainly didn’t create any reason for concern.
“On the PU side, we have to send a big thank you to Honda, as the engineers in Sakura further improved the performance and the reliability of the PU.”
There was little to separate the two Toro Rosso drivers as they both posted impressive times over the second, and final, week of pre-season testing.
Returning to Formula 1 after a year out, Kyvat set a time of 1:16:882 on the C5 tyres and was marginally beaten by rookie racer Albon who set a time of 1:16:843 on the same tyres.
Their performances behind the wheel gave Tost plenty to smile about and, citing the importance of a whole team effort, he is looking forward to the season opener in Melbourne.
Tost said: “Despite the cold temperature in the mornings, the weather in general has been kind to us for the two pre-season tests here in Barcelona.
“This gave the team the chance to learn a lot about the new STR14, different setups, and the tyres in favourable conditions.
“Both Daniil and Alex have shown that our expectations were realistic, delivering very useful feedback without making any mistakes.
“Despite last year’s break from racing, Daniil has immediately got back to grip with the car and has proven to be the driver we know he is, mainly very fast and providing the engineers with valid technical feedback.
“He will be a big help for Alex, who is quickly getting used to F1 day after day, with a very steep learning curve. He was able to manage his first four days with the team, showing really strong performances and a very good physical preparation.
“The team did a good job at the factory as they delivered all the parts on time. Here at the track, the garage operations were smooth despite a few new members of the race team, who were integrated in their new roles straight away and very efficiently.
“Thanks to everybody in Faenza and Bicester for the great effort.
“It seems like we have all of the ingredients to kick off this new season in Melbourne from a good starting point.”
