06/06/2017
NEWS STORY
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost admits he would be happy to retain the current driver line-up of Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat for another season.
"This is a decision for Red Bull. We have to wait," he told Autosport. "But if they continue with us it would be fantastic."
While Sainz is in his third straight season with the Faenza outfit, Kvyat, who made his debut with Toro Rosso in 2014, returned to the team last year following a season and a bit with Red Bull.
Though the Russian has clearly settled after the difficult period the followed his return to Faenza, his Spanish teammate's talent has never been in any doubt, many believing he is championship winning material.
However, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen both remaining with Red Bull in 2018 there is no chance of a move up the Red Bull ladder anytime soon.
Tost admits that both his drivers, particularly Sainz, are likely to be on the radar of rival teams as they look ahead, however he believes both would be better served sticking with Toro Rosso, which is currently 24 points shy of fourth-placed Toro Rosso.
"There are not so many teams out there which are so much better than us," he said. "They are still young and we are still developing them. They are 22 and 23 years old. This is not an age where you can say you belong to the old drivers.
"We will see what Red Bull decides," he continued, "but if they will stay with us I think the complete team would be more than happy."
"The decision will be made in September or October, something like that," he confirmed.
Scoring points in all but one race thus far, Sainz is currently eighth in the standings, while his Russian teammate is 14th having scored points in just two races.
The news that Tost is keen to retain the duo will disappoint a number of rising stars, most notably Pierre Gasly who was expecting to join the Faenza outfit. Indeed, it was his claim to the media that he was to replace Kvyat that allegedly cost him the move.