Toro Rosso boss praises Michelin

Toro Rosso, formerly cash-strapped Minardi, have made a promising start to the season, moving away from their former team's normal habitat at the end of the grid. But the Faenza-based team, now owned by Red Bull, have yet to score points this year.

Tost believes the team can improve at Imola, the Austrian stating: "We are really looking forward to our home race in Imola, especially after our decent performance in Australia.

"On the basis of previous results, we expect to qualify somewhere between 10th and 15th and will fight hard on the track to see where we can go from there."

Tost, speaking for a Michelin press release, also praised the French tyre maker, saying the main improvement in Toro Rosso's performance has come from the tyres and not, as some suggest, from their V10 engine.

"Many people like to talk about the advantage we have with our V10 engine, but we know this is not the case," Tost said. "And maybe they forget that one of the main reasons for Scuderia Toro Rosso's performances is the excellent tyre supply!

"Michelin did an unbelievably good job during the winter and is able to provide us with tyres that work well in all different weather conditions.

"Tyres can really make a big difference at Imola, and Michelin's latest compounds and constructions will improve our traction and braking performance. These are both key factors at this circuit."

Michelin's Formula One director Nick Shorrock said his company will introduce a new range of tyres at Imola.

"In last year's [San Marino Grand Prix], we identified a number of areas that needed to be developed in order to improve our future performance," Shorrock stated.

"The development programme in 2006 has taken this into account, and our recent tests have been encouraging.

"We have subsequently selected a range of tyres featuring new compounds in order to respond to the challenges we identified one year ago."