Toro Rosso is to build up the size of their team operation at Faenza as they look to use the new partnership with Honda to move up the grid in 2018 and beyond.
The junior Red Bull outfit will be the sole user of the Japanese manufacturer’s engines next season, after agreeing a deal which allowed them to end their difficult partnership with McLaren after three seasons but remain on the Formula 1 grid.
Some have already questioned whether it was a smart decision given the risk of suffering the same problems the British team faced, but Team Principal Franz Tost has played down those concerns insisting the positives outweigh the negatives.
“First of all we must see next year’s engine tested and then we can think about possible penalties,” he told Motorsport.com, as even tighter restrictions come in for next year. “But it’s far too early now.
“The reason we requested to work together with Honda is that we are convinced that the company has a lot of potential, it’s a worldwide known car manufacturer with a fantastic motorsport history and we at Toro Rosso are proud to work together with such an exclusive partner.
“Now it’s time to come up with activities and hopefully bring the complete operation from Toro Rosso’s side as well as Honda’s side to success.”
As part of the deal, Toro Rosso will get a financial boost from working with Honda – just as McLaren did – however, Tost warns that alone will not see the team suddenly challenge higher up the grid than perhaps expected.
“A budget is one story, building up an infrastructure is another story,” he stated. “All this takes time, and of course if we need to do something urgently on the R&D side we will push for this within our resources. However, we are bringing in some new people, because we have to do it.
“We had a completely different plan for 2018, we wanted to use the complete rear end from Red Bull Racing, or Red Bull Technology, which is not the case anymore because we have a different engine, and we have to bring in people to bring this project to a successful end but this is a normal process.”
