Toro Rosso have set their sights on securing fifth place in the constructors’ championship this season, despite an all-rookie driver line-up.
The team finished just seventh last year with a points tally of 30 points, 151 shy of McLaren in fifth last year and 125 adrift of Force India in sixth.
However team principal Franz Tost has called the STR10 “the best car they’ve ever designed” and is confident Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr can bridge the gap to their rivals.
“The 2015 season is a new challenge for all of us,” said Tost. “We’ve put a lot of work into the STR10 and we are convinced that we will have a successful year.
“Our objective is to finish fifth and we are ready to do our best to achieve it.”
Verstappen and Sainz Jr have a combined age of just 37, making them the youngest driver pairing in history – compare that to McLaren’s experienced line-up which comes in at 68.
But that’s not a worry for Tost who thinks what they lack in experience will be made up in determination to succeed.
“Our driver line-up is the youngest in Formula 1 history, but this is no reason to set us back or think we can’t achieve our goals. Young drivers are always hungry for success and we will make sure we use this positively to our advantage.”
