Honda's "big step forward" main factor in Toro Rosso gains
Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost has credited Honda with the uplift in form that his team has enjoyed in recent races.
The Faenza-based outfit has closed to within eight points of Renault in the fight for fifth place in the constructors’ championship following Pierre Gasly’s shock runner-up finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
And with the team close to delivering what could be its best season in F1, Tost has no doubt that its progress owes more to what Honda has achieved this year than anything else.
“The Red Bull partnership helped us at the beginning of the season with the suspension, because we took over the suspension and everything from them,” said Tost. “But during the season, there's not much [we can do] with the synergy because of the regulations.
“It was the aero updates which helped us, and Honda made a big step forward. It was primarily Honda. With the spec four engine and with fuel, which they brought at Suzuka. This helped us to improve the performance.”
While Honda still appears to be behind Ferrari and Mercedes with its qualifying engine modes, Tost thinks that in race trim the balance of power is very different.
And he thinks the way in which Gasly was able to outdrag Lewis Hamilton out of the final corner in the Brazilian GP highlighted the lower downforce his car operates with.
“The key was the Honda power in the race, because Honda is really very strong in the race and our downforce level, we simply had less downforce than others because we were much faster than other cars,” explained Tost.
“And this helped us. But once more, you have to take care for the tyres in the infield. Otherwise it doesn't help you. And this worked very well, I must say.”
Pirelli can only raise tyre pressures for Zandvoort banking
Honda extends Red Bull, Toro Rosso deals for 2021
The inevitable consequence of the Liberty F1 popularity boom
Sell out crowds at Formula 1 races are the norm rather than the exception these days, as grand prix racing is enjoying a massive boom under Liberty Media. But the Spanish Grand Prix highlighted numerous issues some circuits may face as demand for F1 soars
The danger for Red Bull in its Barcelona F1 team orders choice
OPINION: Red Bull walked into a team orders saga on its way to taking a Spanish Grand Prix 1-2 last weekend, where it took the lead of the 2022 Formula 1 world championships for the first time. But its decisions have added an element of risk to later races.
Why Mercedes' Spanish GP gains aren't as grand as they seemed
Mercedes' strong showing in last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix prompted team boss Toto Wolff to say it had halved its deficit to the leaders and its Formula 1 title chances were back on after a rocky start to the 2022 campaign. But a closer inspection of the team's performance suggests its gains aren't as grand as they first appeared
What's next for the Green Red Bull controversy?
From the 'pink Mercedes' to the 'Green Red Bull', the Silverstone-based team has received suspicious glares from up and down the Formula 1 paddock over its car design exploits. But after being cleared by the FIA over its Spanish Grand Prix updates amid a backdrop of cries of foul play, what's next in this saga?
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
In an unusually hectic Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was denied a dominant performance by his Ferrari engine letting go which allowed Max Verstappen to pick up the pieces. But numerous flashpoints kept the race twisting and turning throughout, with one perfect score from an emerging contender
How Verstappen overcame his and Red Bull’s errors to win in Spain
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine disaster offered an open goal for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to strike, but the reigning Formula 1 world champion still had to solve multiple errors and profit from a begrudged assist from team-mate Sergio Perez, which created an unexpectedly eventful Spanish Grand Prix
Why Red Bull can win a Spanish GP that looked perfect for Ferrari
Formula 1's return to Spain on Friday ended with Ferrari leading the way from Mercedes, while Red Bull could only manage third fastest overall courtesy of Max Verstappen. But its chances of victory are far from remote with a deeper dig into the times despite Ferrari's strong start...
The key aspects of Porsche and Audi's planned F1 entries
The VW Group’s German superpowers of sportscar racing have all but confirmed they are coming to F1 when the next set of engine rules come into force in 2026. Here's why both manufacturers are all set to take the plunge, and crucially how it might work