Inside Toro Rosso's best F1 season yet

By any measurement, Scuderia Toro Rosso enjoyed a successful first half of the 2019 Formula 1 season.

It earned the only podium finish for a team outside the established big three with Daniil Kvyat's opportunistic third in Germany, and it had risen to an impressive fifth place in the world championship ahead of the summer break - better than the high of sixth it achieved back in 2008, when Sebastian Vettel famously won a race.

The team has scored points in nine of the 12 races so far, and at two of the events where it missed out it was handicapped because one car started at the back as a result of power-unit penalties.

It has also prepared Alex Albon for a graduation to the senior Red Bull team. At Spa, the team will welcome Pierre Gasly back into the fold, so there will be something of a reset.

But it's also worth acknowledging the bigger picture of the successful role Toro Rosso played last year in smoothing the way for Red Bull to join forces with Honda.

It was a crucial season of consolidation for the Japanese manufacturer after it had emerged battered and bruised from its doomed relationship with McLaren. Toro Rosso helped to put Honda back on the right track, and by the early summer RBR had committed to a switch from Renault.

It was a bold strategy, but one that has already paid off with two wins for Max Verstappen - the second of which, at Hockenheim, was backed up by Kvyat's third place.

"It was a fantastic day," Honda F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe said after that race. "We started with Toro Rosso last year, from zero. We've spent 1.5 seasons with them, and then they got a podium, so we are so happy to see that. We learned a lot last year, both on the Toro Rosso and Honda side, and I think we're still learning. The result of that learning gave us this podium."

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost can take a lot of satisfaction from Red Bull's current form, knowing how successfully the plan formulated back in 2017 has played out - possibly better than anyone in the camp could have expected.

"The complete organisation must be proud," he says. "It was a fantastic co-operation from the very beginning between Honda and Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technologies. If parties work together and not against each other you see that you can achieve a lot.

"Honda is very committed and motivated. And it has built up a fantastic infrastructure in Sakura" Franz Tost

"We promised Honda in 2018: 'We'll have a tough year with Toro Rosso, we'll have to do many tests, we'll have to do many power unit changes, but this won't matter. The important thing is we're all prepared for 2019 and then the future afterwards'.

"Last year, Red Bull was involved already in the background. I saw this as the best possible way for Honda to achieve success. Why? Red Bull is from the technical side the second best if not the best team, and with a power unit which is reliable and strong, they can win races. And hopefully sooner or later also the world championship.

"I'm very happy for Honda that they have achieved two race wins, because one or two years ago people would have said we are crazy doing this. But we were convinced, and I'm really happy that they're getting the fruit of all this investment - from both the time and financial side - and that they can show that Honda is still a company with a very high level of technology and know-how."

Tost was aware of what had gone wrong with McLaren and his colleagues went to great lengths to ensure his team enjoyed a smooth relationship with Honda. They understood how the company operates, and took the obvious cultural differences on board.

"There are always two parties which have to work together," he explains. "Of course, at the end of 2017 Honda were quite frustrated. Fortunately, because otherwise maybe they wouldn't have changed!

"We built up a task force, to learn how to work together with Honda, to introduce our engineers, and instruct them in the correct way to communicate and work together. Both parties wanted to work together, and it was in the end an easy exercise. And fortunately it worked out.

"They are very committed, and they are motivated. And they have built up a fantastic infrastructure in Sakura - I don't think another engine manufacturer has something similar in terms of the space, the dynos, all these tools, and how fast they can react, as we are fortunately observing.

"They are motorsport fans - this is the DNA from Honda. I read a book about Soichiro Honda, and he was always looking for competition, and that's part of the philosophy. And up to now I haven't met one person from the management board of Honda who is not thinking in this way, that competition is so important."

Making the most of hands-on works support in 2018 was a huge change for Toro Rosso, which remains a small team by F1 standards.

"From the engineering side we were totally on the limit," says Tost. "Because, for example, Toro Rosso was not used to being involved in the design of the radiators in this way, or asking 'what is optimum for the power unit'?

"Beforehand we just got the data from our partners who said, 'OK this is what we need, now try to get it into your car.' We were involved in where to put the electronic boxes, and we did many tests on the dyno with the gearbox.

"We couldn't and we didn't want to increase the number of designers and the engineers dramatically, because we knew that it was only an exercise for one year, because then Red Bull Technologies was coming with Red Bull Racing.

"Our engineers worked very hard. It was quite tough for them, they did a job for two topics - we were still racing and doing the development. But this worked well.

"The electronic engineers and gearbox engineers were either sitting in an aeroplane or in Sakura. And it was really a tough time for the race team, because they couldn't be everywhere.

One of the strengths of Toro Rosso this year has been consistency, while some of the other midfield teams have endured more of a bumpy ride

"It was just on the limit, how we handled everything, because we couldn't increase the number of engineers. First of all you can't find them in a short period of time. If you want to get someone from another team you wait a minimum six months, normally one year, and you can't risk putting inexperienced people into such an important project."

Being the sole Honda works team was a valuable one-off learning exercise for all at Toro Rosso. But the goalposts moved again this year as Red Bull has taken over most of the routine development tasks.

"For example we are no longer involved with gearbox dyno runs," Tost explains. "This is just being done by RBT because we take the gearbox from them. The electronic boxes and all this kind of stuff, we are not any more involved in the detail there.

"We are still involved in the radiators, because they are listed parts, and we have to do it by ourselves. But we didn't need to take on many other challenges during the winter time, which meant that we had resources for more important topics to increase our performance."

Tost denies that his team is being used as a guinea pig to develop the engine for its sister team, despite it taking some early season grid penalties.

"Not directly," he says when asked about the topic. "The development is being done on the dyno, but if there is something they want to test, of course Toro Rosso will do it, because we can risk not finishing without the consequences that are the case with Red Bull Racing, because they are fighting for victories.

"The penalties we took in France and Austria, maybe we could have avoided. But we decided to go for it because the increase of the performance was a tenth and a half, or something like this.

"I said to the engineers 'let's go for this', because we cannot afford to lose a tenth or a tenth and a half when it's hundredths of a second between the different teams and cars. From the mileage side, at least on Daniil's car, it was not necessary, we could have continued with the other engine."

One of the strengths of Toro Rosso this year has been consistency, while some of the other midfield teams have endured more of a bumpy ride.

"We were always there, we were not far away," Tost says of his team's form. "This was important for us. Our target was, a) to have at least one car in Q3, and b) to score points in all the races. Our balance was not so bad, but I expected the level [to be] a little bit better. We also had some ups and downs, and we have to work to prevent this in the second half of the season.

"The first half was quite successful, apart from two races, France and Austria, when we had to change power units and start with one car in the back. We decided to do it over two races because we wanted to have at least one car close to Q3. But for different reasons, it didn't work out.

"At Paul Ricard Alex was in 11th position, this was optimum, and he also had a very good start, but then in the first lap he was pushed out of the track and lost three or four positions, and then both cars were nearly together.

"And in Austria in Q1 [George] Russell blocked Daniil, who had to pass on the outside, and he lost the time for coming into Q2. We had a car there for Q3, but we had to start from the back, and if you have to do that it's so difficult to catch up and to overtake the cars ahead. Therefore, these two results were not acceptable, but the rest of the season was quite good."

That's a typical Tost understatement given that that the team lies fifth in the championship, even if a huge haul of points came from one race.

From Spa onwards Toro Rosso has to help Gasly get his head into the right place after facing the blow of demotion from the senior Red Bull team

"Of course Hockenheim was the highlight of the season so far," he adds. "I must say that both drivers did a fantastic job, not only on the last laps, but especially at the beginning, because we must not forget that for Alex it was the first time out under such conditions, and he didn't make any mistake.

"Also Daniil, a fantastic race without a spin, everything always under control, and we were all of the race within the first 10, Alex in fourth, Daniil most of the time in eighth or ninth position.

"Then at the end of the race after the safety car we decided to go for a risk - and it was a big risk because we must not forget having a driver in ninth, this was a good position for Toro Rosso, because we have to score every single point.

"But then we said 'No, we go for it', and Daniil gave good feedback on the radio and he said, 'Yes, it's possible to do it,' and that's important because the driver had to be convinced. Then we did it, and the result we know. A fantastic strategy decision, and with Alex finishing sixth, it was nearly the optimum that we could achieve."

Tost has seen many drivers pass through his team over the years, and he rates the now promoted Albon highly.

"Alex is quite on the top," he says. "I must say his race in Germany was unbelievable, because he was out for the first time in these conditions. And I never had the feeling that he didn't have everything under control.

"He was always up to speed, he was never over the limit, and he read the race quite well. This was the reason he ran in fourth position. I have a lot of respect for him, and I was very happy to see him performing so well. He now has experience, he knows now all the weather conditions, dry, wet, drying up, half wet, and so on."

One of the most impressive aspects of Albon's half rookie season with Toro Rosso was a lack of mistakes, although there was a high-profile practice off in China.

"But this crash he must have," Tost insists. "If he does not have this crash he will not learn that if you are so far off the track you have to lift because otherwise you have a crash. That's part of the learning process, and I never blamed him, although it was an expensive one.

"Fortunately he wasn't injured, that's the most important thing, and the next day he finished in the points. This shows that he is also quite strong mentally, and can immediately forget what happened."

From Spa onwards Toro Rosso has to help Gasly get his head into the right place after facing the blow of demotion from the senior Red Bull team.

It went through a similar situation with Kvyat a couple of years ago. That didn't work out well, but after his time away working as a Ferrari simulator driver the Russian is now back on top form.

"Of course, working with a team like Ferrari you always learn something," says Tost. "Even if it's on the simulator. Ferrari, Red Bull, this is another league - they are concentrated on topics which smaller teams like Toro Rosso can't afford to do.

"He's a different guy, much more concentrated and focused than a couple of years ago. This is simply coming from his experience. He drove some really good races, especially regarding the tyre treatment, being a little bit careful with a heavy car, and he knows exactly which laps to attack, and which corners he has to take care for the tyres. I've got a lot of respect for the way he drove the last races - not only Hockenheim, also before."

The team now has nine races with which to make the most of the Kvyat/Gasly combination. Can it hang on to fifth place in the highly competitive midfield battle? Tost remains optimistic.

"Everything is very tight, everything is very close together, and therefore with a bad race when the others have a good race you can lose two or three positions, but you can also gain them, as we showed," he concludes.

"I hope that we can perform well in the second half of the season. And then for 2020, it depends on which drivers are with us. This is in the hands of Red Bull."