Upgrade struggles put Toro Rosso Formula 1 team behind target
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost admits his Formula 1 team "hasn't achieved our goals" with some of its major upgrades this season and is currently "behind expectations"
The squad introduced several aero updates during the Austrian and British Grand Prix weekends, including a new front wing design.
Toro Rosso has struggled to extract the performance from the new parts it had hoped for, and the revised front wing was dropped for the races in Germany and Hungary.
Tost admitted he "expected more" from it and is concerned a failure to make gains with the updates could make it "difficult to defend" Toro Rosso's eighth position in the constructors' championship from Sauber, which is 10 points behind.
"We haven't achieved our goals with the upgrades, we expected more from it," Tost told Autosport.
"The midfield is very close, it's [covered by] hundredths of seconds. If you can't improve then it's difficult to defend the position, and currently we are behind our expectations.
"I hope for the second half of the season we can improve our performance.
"It's difficult, yes. Sauber, Haas made big steps forward, also thanks to their fantastic Ferrari power unit.
"Therefore it has become difficult for us to be within the first 10."
Pierre Gasly, who sits 13th in the points and scored the team's season-best result of fourth in Bahrain, said after the Hungarian GP that Toro Rosso is yet to "understand" its inconsistent form.
He is wary of the upcoming Belgian and Italian GPs being "tough" for Toro Rosso and Honda.
"There are still a couple of things we don't understand, why sometimes we perform a lot more than we expect and some other times we struggle a lot more than we think," Gasly said.
"Of course we know that there are tracks where we're going to perform a lot more.
"I think Spa and Monza will be quite tough for us, but Singapore is another one where we need to focus."
Autosport Podcast: Enzo Ferrari's legacy on 30th anniversary of death
Leclerc: Poor start made Sauber's F1 2018 progress look even bigger
Why newly-retired Raikkonen won't miss F1
After 349 grand prix starts, 46 fastest laps, 21 wins and one world championship, Kimi Raikkonen has finally called time on his F1 career. In an exclusive interview with Autosport on the eve of his final race, he explains his loathing of paddock politics and reflects on how motorsport has changed over the past two decades
Unpacking the technical changes behind F1 2022's rules shakeup
Formula 1 cars will look very different this year as the long-awaited fresh rules finally arrive with the stated aim of improving its quality of racing. Autosport breaks down what the return of 'ground effect' aerodynamics - and a flurry of other changes besides - means for the teams, and what fans can expect
Why new era F1 is still dogged by its old world problems
OPINION: The 2022 Formula 1 season is just weeks away from getting underway. But instead of focusing on what is to come, the attention still remains on what has been – not least the Abu Dhabi title decider controversy. That, plus other key talking points, must be resolved to allow the series to warmly welcome in its new era
The Schumacher trait that will give Haas hope in F1 2022
Mick Schumacher’s knack of improving during his second season in a championship was a trademark of his junior formula career, so his progress during his rookie Formula 1 campaign with Haas was encouraging. His target now will be to turn that improvement into results as the team hopes to reap the rewards of sacrificing development in 2021
The “glorified taxi” driver central to F1’s continued safety push
As the driver of Formula 1’s medical car, Alan van der Merwe’s job is to wait – and hope his skills aren’t needed. JAMES NEWBOLD hears from F1’s lesser-known stalwarts
When BMW added F1 'rocket fuel' to ignite Brabham's 1983 title push
There was an ace up the sleeve during the 1983 F1 title-winning season of Nelson Piquet and Brabham. It made a frontrunning car invincible for the last three races to see off Renault's Alain Prost and secure the combination's second world title in three years
How “abysmal” reliability blunted Brabham’s first winner
Brabham’s first world championship race-winning car was held back by unreliable Climax engines – or so its creators believed, as STUART CODLING explains
The steps Norris took to reach a new level in F1 2021
Lando Norris came of age as a grand prix driver in 2021. McLaren’s young ace is no longer an apprentice or a quietly capable number two – he’s proved himself a potential winner in the top flight and, as STUART CODLING finds out, he’s ready to stake his claim to greatness…