Verstappen keen to wait on podium target

© XPB 

Max Verstappen says Toro Rosso will know whether it should target a podium this season after the first three races.

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost set the target of scoring a podium this year following the launch of the race livery for the STR11 in Barcelona. With the team using the 2015 power unit, Toro Rosso looks to have a competitive car but is wary its performance could drop off as this year's engines are developed.

Verstappen welcomes such high targets from his boss but says he will not know if it is a realistic aim until after the opening rounds.

“I think Franz in general is always very optimistic, which is good because it pushes the team forward," Verstappen said. "I’m a bit more cautious about podiums at the moment.

"I would like to, I mean I finished fourth twice so you want to get to the podium, but we have to see how good the package is and I think after three races we will know more.”

With James Key having delivered another competitive car, Verstappen says he has confidence in the technical director's ability to develop it through the year.

“The car improved a lot from 2014 onwards and I think I can be very happy about that. Definitely it’s great working together with him and he’s a very nice guy.

“I think it’s everywhere that it’s a bit of an improvement, but it’s tricky to say because of the conditions [in testing]. So it’s positive. Everything we’ve changed on the car is working in the right direction which we wanted. So that’s always nice.”

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