Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost says high temperatures limited his squad to “an average performance” during the Mexican Grand Prix, but acknowledges his drivers’ “good job” in difficult conditions.
Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz looked like genuine contenders for a strong result after showing early promise at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with the Dutchman even topping Friday’s opening free practice.
Despite this auspicious start, Toro Rosso was not able to capitalise during the race and could only salvage two points, courtesy of Verstappen’s fifth consecutive top-10 finish. Meanwhile, his Spanish team-mate had to settle for 13th.
“We showed an average performance because we had to slow down the cars to keep the temperatures under control, which meant that we lost performance,” said Tost.
“The drivers did a good job. Max finished in ninth position and I think this was, under these conditions, the maximum we could do.
“Carlos had some vibrations at the end of the race, therefore he couldn’t push as normal or score any points.”
Toro Rosso’s Mexican silver lining came from Verstappen heading the two Lotus of Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, which could prove key in the Constructors’ battle.
“We were able to close the gap to Lotus by one point and they are now six points ahead of us with two races to go.”
“Because of the long straight, the race in Brazil won’t be an easy one for us, while Abu Dhabi maybe suits us a bit better.
“Nevertheless, we will push very hard to prepare ourselves in the best possible way to fight for that P6 in the championship.”
Mexican Grand Prix - Driver ratings
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