Working for three years with a pilot is “ideal” for Franz Tost

Toro Rosso has always had the mission of training young talents with a view to promotion at Red Bull. Has your job changed now that you have to manage two “ghosts”?

It actually makes my life easier because they already know a lot of things. I don't need to teach them. Perhaps they arrived at Red Bull a little too early? I often say that the ideal is to work with pilots over a period of three years.

We'll see what Red Bull decides for next year; both are very fast and we are very happy with their work. Personally, I hope that Daniil (Kvyat) and Pierre (gasly) will continue with us in 2020. The choice should be announced at the end of October, after the Mexican Grand Prix.

Pierre seems to have quickly regained his bearings at Toro Rosso: have you adjusted your approach given Daniil's first mixed return to your team in 2016?

In both cases, it was not an easy situation for the pilot. The difference with Pierre is that he hadn't left us for very long. He rode with us last year.

I remember seeing him come into my office in Faenza last summer and I said to him: “I feel like you left yesterday.” Everything happened very quickly, while Daniil stayed longer with Red Bull. In both cases, they managed to find their bearings with the team and the car.

Was the pressure too much for Pierre at Red Bull? We never felt really happy...

It's difficult for me to answer this question because I wasn't there. Maybe he wasn't comfortable with how the car handled. He suffered these two accidents during winter testing, which eroded his self-confidence.

However, in a universe like F1, you must have a mind of steel, especially when you face Max Verstappen.

Discover the entire interview with Franz Tost and the full report of the Japanese Grand Prix, carried out by our special correspondents in Suzuka, in issue 2238 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version and on newsstands.