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Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost says that Honda has exceeded all expectations during the 2018 season. After a tough stint with McLaren, Honda partnered up with Toro Rosso in 2018 ahead of a proposed move to Red Bull for 2019.
Red Bull confirmed earlier this year that the Japanese manufacturer would join as its engine supplier next year after being encouraged by the work Honda did with Toro Rosso, Red Bulls junior squad.
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Toro Rosso recorded a best result of fourth this year, which was higher than anything McLaren achieved in the three years with Honda from 2015 to 2017. Tost has praised the Sakura based outfit for the improvements it has made while working with Toro Rosso.
"They have so far done a fantastic job because they have improved the performance a lot, and also the reliability,” the French boss commented. “They have exceeded expectations with regards to reliability.
"We thought we would have much more problems but to be honest we haven’t had any major issues," Tost admitted. “And also regarding the performance, because with the new specification we are not far away from the top teams.”
Ahead of Honda's move to Red Bull for 2019, Tost is confident that it will continue to make improvements over the winter: “I’m convinced that Honda will improve during the winter months. They are doing a very good job, they are pushing very hard.
"How many power units then at the end will be used next year? I don’t know yet. For me, three power units is wrong from the regulation side. We should have the possibility to get more but that’s currently within the regulations and I hope that this will change from 2021 onwards.”
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
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calle.itw
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I do however fully agree with him that more engine allocations is a must if F1 is to be sustainable. The current synthetic scarcety hinders racing, entertainment and development.