Haas hails rival Toro Rosso's upswing: 'It's good for the sport!'

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As competitive as he may be, Haas' Guenther Steiner welcomed Toro Rosso's upswing in performance which yielded an impressive result in qualifying in Bahrain.

Pierre Gasly delivered a stunning sixth fastest time to Toro Rosso on Saturday, one spot ahead of Haas' Kevin Magnussen.

As a consequence, the US outfit will have another mid-field rival to contend with in the race, but its team boss welcomes the challenge, insisting it ultimately puts a feel-good spin on Formula 1.

"I am surprised and actually they’re doing a great job", Steiner admitted.

"It’s good for Honda. We all know the feelings when for years and years you’re just beaten down and then all of a sudden there is sunshine - it’s great for them.

"It’s good for the sport. There’s somebody else who can play in there, I think it’s great. That’s what F1 should be, the surprises, they mix it up. Everybody should have a little bit of spotlight."

Impressive Gasly astounded by Toro Rosso performance

Magnussen was equally surprised by Toro Rosso's unexpected top-six position, but was hopeful of getting the measure of Gasly over this evening's race distance.

The Dane is determined to put points on the board after the disappointing outcome endured by the team and its drivers in Melbourne.

"It was fairly surprising. It’s a good job by them, definitely," he said.

"I don’t know whether that’s come from the engine or aero but it’s been a good step for them.
"I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a good car tomorrow but things can change and we know the tyres are pretty difficult here.

"We will have to do a lot of fuel saving as well. I’m looking forward to seeing but we should be able to fight.

"I want a good result and I want to start scoring points. We have a bit of catching up to do from Australia where we lost a good result. So we are going to try and do that tomorrow."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.