Toro Rosso expect to be off the pace at the next two Formula 1 races at the high-speed tracks of Spa and Monza, according to team principal Franz Tost.
The tracks are set to expose the team’s Renault engine, which is still widely believed to be underpowered compared to the Mercedes and Ferrari engine.
Toro Rosso acquired the Renault engine this year after running a year-old Ferrari unit in 2016.
The team remains hopeful for a good result at some of the seasons remaining fly-away races, where the engine should not play such a vital role.
“Mid-fast and mid-slow corners are where our car is working quite well, where the engine is not the priority as it is in Canada, Austria, Baku or Silverstone,” Tost told Autosport.
“I expect once we are in Singapore, America, hopefully also Japan we will be quite competitive.
“I expect problems in Spa and Monza because they have such long straights where you simply need the engine power and we all know that we are down there a little.”
Although Toro Rosso have made progress throughout the year, and currently sit sixth in the manufacturers’ championship, limited resources prevent the team from being able to make the step up to become a front-runner.
“We’ve upgraded the car, we made some progress, but we are also from this end budget limited,” Tost added.
“We cannot come up like the top teams every race with a lot of upgrades because they have three or four times the money of us.
“We really have to calculate always what we do, how we do it, and so far, I must say we have done a reasonably good job.”
