Q & A with Toro Rosso's Franz Tost

Franz Tost: A few years ago I didn't expect that in 2008 we would win here in Monza because Monza is something special for Italian teams and for all the drivers. Monza has enormous history and to win the first race and with Sebastian Vettel as the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix is incredible.

Q. The feeling must be incredible?

FT: The feeling is good - you can see they are all celebrating!

Q. Sebastian's drive looked perfect - what did you think of it?

FT: It was a perfect drive. From the start to the finish. He prepared himself very well from Friday onwards because although the circumstances on the track weren't always good he just wanted to see where is the water, how slippery is the track, the surface changes. And all this information he got on Friday and Saturday he used very well in the race to get the most out of it and to win.

Q. To win the race is a great testament to the way the team is run?

FT: We won here but we also must say the circumstances played into our hands because normally from the speed in the dry I estimated us in positions six or seven based on the test here. The wet conditions helped us, and especially our strategy helped us because we planned a shorter first stint and this went positive for us. We calculated tyre wear and how much you lose in the wet and we thought our strategy is the fastest and we proved it.

Q. The team seems to have done the basics right, kept it simple and played to the strength of the car. How impressed are you with guys like Giorgio Ascanelli and the team?

FT: Giorgio Ascanelli is the pillar of this team as our technical director. He put in a lot of technical effort and all of his knowledge from the past and this is the main key for the success of the day.

Q. For a team that hasn't won before, that experience must have been essential?

FT: For sure.

Q. In terms of the progress the car has made this year, you must be very proud of taking the first win for Red Bull?

FT: We must say that Adrian Newey and Red Bull Technology did a fantastic job because the basis of the car came from them. We are setting up the car by ourselves but this is something every driver does by himself because every driver has his own requirements. This is the main job we do in Faenza

Q. What's the target now?

FT: We will move forward but we must keep our feet on the ground. If we score points in the last four races then I am quite happy. I didn't think that we will be in the position to win another race this year because Ferrari, McLaren and BMW are still ahead of us. Not just a little ahead, but far ahead.

Q. Does this change anything for the future?

FT: I don't know. Dietrich Mateschitz will tell you. I assume that the price for the team will increase because he is a businessman which is good for him! And he wants to get the money he invested back. For the team it's good because hopefully we will get some sponsors. To have a race as a win is always better than to have a race as a loser.

Q. Give me an idea of the way this team has grown since the Minardi days. In its last Italian GP there was a Minardi last on the grid, now this team has won here. How has it grown?

FT: There are different main factors. The first factor is Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz because without them we would not be celebrating this victory. The second point is Red Bull Technology because we have been provided with a very good car. The third point is Ferrari. We get very powerful engines as you can see and we have a very close relationship to them and are very happy with them.

The next point are the drivers, although both drivers are nearly new in F1, they are doing a fantastic job and Vettel's performance curve is increasing tremendously. The next important point is Giorgio Ascanelli and his technical team who did a tremendously good job. We got the car under control, we know what setup it needs and that's a very important feature for the drivers. The drivers are confident in the car and that's one of the main points for being successful. In Faenza we are increasing our infrastructure and growing step by step.

Q. In 2010 Toro Rosso needs to be a constructor, how are those plans progressing?

FT: We have already started building up the team to be a constructor. We started with 80 people in 2005 and we now have 175. Another 80 people will be employed in the near future and these are the steps we have to take to become a constructor. We are in negotiations with several wind tunnels and its' a tremendous job. I'm not convinced this is the correct way to go in Formula One.

There are six manufacturer teams and 12 places and I think there should be six manufacturer teams and six private teams and each private team should work together with a manufacturer. The philosophy with Red Bull was always to have one engineering centre providing the two teams with the car. We have halved the costs because our budget is a quarter of that of other teams and we are able to win. That means that what we have done so far from the efficiency and economic point of view is the right way to go. But the regulations are something different and therefore we have to change.

Q. Are you still pushing for a change on customer cars?

FT: If people are thinking clear this should be the case. Look at what happens today in the economy. The great car manufacturers work together. Why do they work together? They do not want to spend so much money on development and research which is exactly right because in the end the result nearly is the same. We are searching for a wind tunnel.

I can tell you now with 150 people working in a wind tunnel we not bring a revolutionary car onto the starting grid because it is not possible from the regulation or the physics. All the cars look nearly the same. Colour them white and I make a bet with you there are not five people who can tell you which car belongs to which team. But regulations are regulations and we are pushing in this direction.

Q. Sebastian was really close to the podium in Fuji - would you like similar conditions in future races?

FT: For sure. We are a racing team and we try to finish on the best possible conditions and if the wet conditions are best to us I pray to god it is raining all the time.