Jody Egginton (Deputy Technical Director):
"I think it's fair to say that we are doing many more kilometers in these tests, the number of laps per day is growing. The degradation of the tire is a factor, and if you also have graining the balance of the car can be quite different. You have to manage it, adapt your program to use the tires in the best possible way. It's more challenging, we're seeing more degradation of the tire, but it's fine, although people would like to have more sets of tires "
"Definitely there have been changes, but it has not limited what we can do. Two years ago the circuit was resurfaced, we have seen low temperatures and it is not uncommon to have graining under these conditions. We are seeing interesting characteristics of the wear, I believe that in some moments of the year we will suffer with the graining, we will have to deal with it, and in other points of the season there will be a greater wear "
"We are in the package, the middle zone is big. Williams has work to do to get there, but I still believe that Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari are ahead of this group. It would not be smart to say now who will lead the middle zone: Haas has shown great performance, Renault too, and we are happy with what we have achieved. We'll see, the tests are very different, everyone has their point of view, although our car has behaved quite well "
"Nor should we forget that Albon is not familiar with circuits; He has done a good job for now, but he is going to play his first Grand Prix. We have to keep that in mind, we should not judge him yet. If we can develop the car we can continue there or even go further, but we do not know where we are. "
"Honestly, I would be very happy. Being the 11th or the 12th gives you freedom in terms of strategy. "
"It's in its learning curve, it was improving and it still has room for improvement, as does the car, because I do not think anyone has gone completely to the bottom. Yes, it could have gone faster, but we prefer to be more consistent with our approach than to take a fantastic turn and end up in the gravel "
"Last year we integrated quite well with Honda. This year they have taken a good step forward during the winter, it is the second year, and they have not caused any setbacks in the section of the chassis. It's more of the same, we're comfortable working with them "
"There is no doubt that we will have everything ready for Australia. We have a very detailed plan, we welcome him, it is not that we have not had challenges to face, but we are on the right track.
We have made sessions in the test bank, a filming day ... We have made the decision not to bring improvements, take something to the track and evaluate it, even if we do not have excess parts, although there is no concern in that sense, the boys have made a good job ".
"As for the engine, the preseason has been fantastic.
Last year we had several reliability problems at the start of the year, but then Honda improved its performance throughout the year. Compared to where we were at this point last year, we are in a better position. In general, the car seems reliable, "he explained.
Complete the 21 races that make up the season with only three engines will not be easy. "
That's the plan, but there are many reasons why that could change.
I am aware that the engine can meet the mileage cycle we need it to do, but the important thing is to be prepared. "
"We are using the second engine of the preseason now", guaranteeing that "the first one we changed because we wanted, not because we needed to change it", avoiding any unnecessary worry. "There are always things to look at and develop, nobody stands still, you have things to validate and move forward."
Egginton responded to the question of when they made the change: "Right after removing the other," joked the technical director. "There is always some update, if it is not one thing it is another. I'm sorry, but I will not go into detail. Honda is bringing new parts all the time. "
In addition,
he admitted that the discrepancies between the pace of Toro Rosso from one race to another should be solved. "We brought several updates. There is a difference between the updates do not act as expected and not contribute anything, and I think there are fewer possibilities this year that there is no correlation with the pieces. It will not be perfect, but we believe that the changes we have made should work "
Finally, Egginton highlighted the exact pieces they share with their older brother, Red Bull, a combination between those of the RB14 and those of the RB15.
"It's a bit of a mix. The rear part, the gearbox housing and the suspension parts are from the RB14, our timing is different from yours, so it makes more sense. Other small pieces are from the RB15, because it is logical that we develop it that way, use what fits our needs "
The most surprising thing about this explanation came when
he recognized that the case of the gearbox of the Renault engine that fed the RB14 was similar to that of the Honda. "It fit, and that has saved us a time that we have been able to invest in other parts of the car, such as performance. If I had not fit in, we would have acted differently, I do not think we have that luck every year. I'm not saying that it has the same dimensions as the Renault one, but structurally the carcass is compatible with the rear of the Honda engine, as well as with the metallic parts of the interior. The saddle was identical, everything. It's pragmatic engineering, you have to pass those tests and it's completely compatible "
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