Franz Tost: “Red Bull is not here to train its rivals”

What assessment do you draw from the results of Toro Rosso in 2017 as the European campaign draws to a close?

There were some very good ones, with races where we were in the lead, and some less good ones during weekends marked by accidents or reliability concerns. When we see the checkered flag, we always play for points. On most tracks, I think our car is better than those of our direct rivals like Renault, Williams et Haas. I am convinced that we can finish fifth in the Constructors' championship (Toro Rosso is currently 6th, 15 points behind Williams. Editor's note). Overall, I would rate our season as reasonably strong so far.

A divorce McLaren-So Honda could change the situation?

If McLaren ends its partnership with Honda, there might be a chance for us, but I don't know more. Discussions can only begin if the ingredients are there to bring us to a position where possible collaboration would make sense. Currently this is not the case.

Do you understand the desire to Carlos Sainz to join another team?

Carlos has a contract with Red Bull, who financed his career. And now that it is maturing, we should abandon it to the competition? Red Bull is not here to train its rivals. What if something happened to its holders? It is precisely for this reason that Red Bull has two teams in F1. They invested a lot of money and I don't accept that a driver pours his heart out and says: “I want to join another team. » He should consider himself happy to be in F1, especially since the Toro Rosso is a good car…

Discover the full interview with Franz Tost and the analysis of the Italian GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2130 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms and on kiosks.