Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost believes Honda’s new alignment with Red Bull will boost his squad’s prospects in Formula 1 this year.
Toro Rosso linked up with Honda in 2018 but compromised some of its Grands Prix for the sake of the Japanese marque’s development programme, and concurrently struggled with its own chassis progress.
It finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, in front of only the beleaguered Williams team.
For 2019 Red Bull has joined Toro Rosso in using Honda power, and Tost believes the senior team’s involvement will lead to a more efficient use of its own limited resources, having utilised several 2018-spec Red Bull components on its new car.
“Compared to other teams, Toro Rosso count on a smaller number of people,” said Tost at the launch of Toro Rosso's STR14.
“The synergies with Red Bull Technology for the non-listed parts, now that Red Bull will also be equipped with the Honda engine, will leave more time for our technical working groups to focus more on the details.
“Attention to detail makes the difference and this translates to more performance.
“We can now count approximately 400 people, split between the factories in Faenza and Bicester (300/100).
“The synergies project will allow us to aim for a step in performance without increasing the number of people; we will buy some parts and have more minds and hands to design and produce all the others.”
Tost added: “Components relative to the power unit will be the same specification as Red Bull Racing, to be used within the regulations.
“Most of the remaining parts we receive from Red Bull Technology will be last year’s specifications.
“Toro Rosso, being a smaller team, could not follow the fast development and production process a bigger team can afford, especially considering that the release of the technical drawing could, for whatever reason, be delayed or delivered last-minute.”
Tost added the greater alliance “will put us in a more favourable situation to develop quicker during the season.”
