Berger calls for more Red Bull support

Scuderia Toro Rosso co-owner Gerhard Berger has urged Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz to increase his financial support for the team

Despite Mateschitz's desire to sell his stake in the team, Berger has not discounted that Red Bull will stay on board and believes Sebastian Vettel's victory at Monza two weeks ago proves that Toro Rosso is a worthy investment.

"I think Didi will understand that he needs to give the team a push," Berger told Italian magazine Autosprint. "We've already made a huge leap forward and now there's a need for total support. I really hope it will go that way.

"The important thing is that we've created the infrastructure necessary to be successful, and have demonstrated to have developed. Perhaps success has come early, but it's important to give confidence to the people to make us feel really united."

Toro Rosso's technical director Giorgio Ascanelli is also eager for the team to fulfill their potential but says they cannot plan for the future until they know whether or not they will have to build their own chassis for the 2010 season.

"We're trying to grow and define the engineering level we need, however, the FIA and the FOTA should decide once and for all the model," he told Autosprint. "I need rule stability in order to allow the team's ownership to decide a definitive plan for the future.

"If we need to build the entire car, it's clear that to do that I can't wait until 2010, I will have to start before then, and I will need more people. From the 160 staff we are now, to build and produce the entire car in 2010 we'll need to grow to 230 people."

Ascanelli added that Toro Rosso's future success will depend on the aims of their backers and how much they are willing to invest.

"It depends on the objectives. If it is just to be here and not to end up last, the way it is now, then it's fine, there's no need to invest," he said.

"Ferrari and McLaren have one thousand people because their objectives are different from ours. For 2009, the way we are structured now, it's fine. For 2010, we need to have at least what Force India have, if not more.

"They work in three wind tunnels, while I'd be content with one. It'd need to work 24 hours a day for the entire week, but it could be a simpler one - it's not necessary to spend 50 million as are BMW and McLaren.

"For this objective, I can confirm we are talking with Jean-Claude Migeot's structure, with Dallara, and we are in talks to use one of the two tunnels owned by Red Bull Technology."