[smr2018test]
Toro Rosso believes its new engine supplier Honda has made significant progress with its power unit during the off-season.
Speaking at the official launch of their new STR13 team principal Franz Tost said he was not expecting the to have to do much troubleshooting with its new engine supplier, which split from McLaren after a disappointing 2017 campaign.
“I think it’s very positive because Honda made a lot of progress in the last months, on the reliability side as well as on the performance side and we are all looking forward to this season.”
Toro Rosso finished sixth in the constructors’ championship last year having targeted fifth place. Tost said it was “difficult to say” what their aim was for 2018.
“The first three places are gone as you know: Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes,” he said. “And then from the fourth place onwards between Force India, Williams, hopefully Toro Rosso, McLaren, Renault and so on.”
“I have to get a clearer picture about our performance and for this I need at least the test here and the first two or three races. But the target for Toro Rosso is to be at the front part of the midfield and this is around fifth place.”
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Toro Rosso’s alliance with Honda has been tipped to pave the way for a tie-up between the Japanese manufacturer and sister team Red Bull next year but Tost would not be drawn on the rumours.
“What Red Bull decide next year I don’t know yet,” he said. “This is not a decision of Toro Rosso this is a decision of the management of Red Bull Racing.”
He described the season ahead as a “development year” for Toro Rosso. “I am just talking now about Honda as I mentioned before there is a quite good development plan, they have very good ideas and I think that they will also realise it.”
2018 F1 season
- McLaren staff told us we were “totally crazy” to take Honda engines in 2018 – Tost
- ‘It doesn’t matter if we start last’: How Red Bull’s junior team aided Honda’s leap forward
- Honda’s jet division helped F1 engineers solve power unit problem
- McLaren Racing losses rise after Honda split
- Ricciardo: Baku “s***show” was Red Bull’s fault
Philip (@philipgb)
26th February 2018, 10:55
Can’t wait for the conspiracy theories if Honda come good that they wanted to break free from McLaren and ally themselves with Red Bull
popovic
26th February 2018, 11:51
26 February, 2018 – 11:47
As we edge closer to the lunch break, the latest lapcount makes for interesting reading…
Most laps so far: Toro-Rosso Honda, 46
Fewest laps so far: McLaren-Renault, 6
Craig
26th February 2018, 12:09
Considering McLaren had a wheel nut failure which would have prompted them to check the car and spares over it makes it difficult to compare.
chris
26th February 2018, 13:45
Besides the lap count or lap time, It is a job well done for a small team such as Toro Rosso to have done an EQUAL job to Mclaren in integration a new engine late last year. But the difference between the two is Toro Rosso just shut up and do the job while with Mclaren, every couple of days you hear them in the news about integration successes, gains in engine and chassis side, they are on schedule… While their progress will be halted by a wheel nut failure that they themselves design and made. While Toro Rosso, did a shakedown a week early and so far is trouble free with a decent lap time from a Rookie who have a last job as an Endurance racer and not a single seater driver… It is no hostility towards Mclaren but regardless of what happens, TR and Honda delivered, they will not win or get on the podium because there are 6 cars that is already occupying the top six, but to be on a top 10 is already a job well done for them, while Mclaren needs to win, they have to win or all their words about Honda and their chassis is just pure BS, because the last time they weren’t with Honda, which is a Mclaren-Mercedes, they are nowhere.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
27th February 2018, 0:37
Yes, that win target looks hard for mclaren, not that the testing tells much so far, but I think that gap is a lot from the top teams for now, and realistically, red bull had the best or joint-best chassis last year, so I don’t really see mclaren being better than red bull, at best equal.
And ferrari and mercedes should really have better engines than red bull, as renault was still a bit behind last year, don’t think they’d catch up all the deficit, especially since they were also lacking reliability, and with the max number of PU down to 3, they had to improve both on performance and reliability, hard to do both.
So in general the first 4 places should be busy, more likely 6 places given the red bull drivers, so I think aiming for podiums is more realistic for mclaren.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
27th February 2018, 0:38
I mean odd podiums in the right circumstances and especially having alonso in the car, not regular podiums, as that would mean beating the star driver of mercedes or the one of ferrari or the 2nd driver of both teams every time, I don’t see it happen.
iCarbs (@icarby)
26th February 2018, 11:05
Sincerely hope TR can put some comparable mileage on the car this test.
popovic
26th February 2018, 11:50
You can sleep easy.HondaToro rosso is topping the charts of number of trouble free laps as of 11 am Monday in barcelona. Well over 50 laps and counting.and their clocked time is pretty decent as well.
Alonso on the other side is slightly worse off than he was same time last year (number of laps wise)
At this rate surely Alonso is going to be WEC champion or Indy champion this year.
As for F1 ?Alonso’s place is NOT in F1.
GeorgeTuk (@georgetuk)
26th February 2018, 13:51
8 days of testing and only 1 morning gone. I think we’ll wait and see how this one plays out than listening to your prediction.
Mikee
26th February 2018, 12:10
They’ve been saying this for the last 3 seasons
GeorgeTuk (@georgetuk)
26th February 2018, 13:51
Taking into account my previous comment, this is very true too!
JCost (@jcost)
26th February 2018, 14:53
I’ve been saying this since the end of last year: it will be quite a story if Honda builds a reliable and competitive engine for this season. (P.S.: by competitive I mean, at least, on par with Renault).
Jon (@johns23)
26th February 2018, 23:20
I think its only a matter of time
Esploratore (@esploratore)
27th February 2018, 0:41
Would be sort of crazy and unlucky for mclaren and alonso if honda is suddenly on par with renault, I mean, they were horrible in 2015, improved in 2016, worsened in 2017, to the point of going back to 2015 levels which were some of the worst in mclaren’s history, the trust in honda (even as a viewer) was like 0, don’t think it was a silly move to leave honda, they just were making too slow progress.
That they suddenly close the gap in a single season is unlucky I think, no one has the crystal ball.