Tost underlines Honda progress: "Performance as well as reliability"

AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost is aiming high for his side for the upcoming season, saying the rebranded team "must be within the top five of the constructors' championship" in 2020.

The Aston Martin Red Bull Racing daughter team formerly known as Toro Rosso have undergone a big rebranding, with a change in livery colours coming along with the change in name.

The AT01, AlphaTauri's first car under their new name, was presented on Friday night and is seen by many as the best-looking car of the 2020 grid so far. 

Tost reckons the car's performance could match its looks as well, predicting AlphaTauri could be in for a very positive season as he doesn't hide his enthusiasm.

“I must say that we are very optimistic for this new season,” the Austrian said at the launch event in his home country. 

"First of all, the car showed very good results in the wind tunnel.

“Secondly, Honda made big progress during the winter months from the performance side as well as from the reliability side, and third we have two good drivers, they showed it already last year."

Toro Rosso impressively finished sixth in 2019's constructors' championship with two podiums during the year, the first podiums since Sebastian Vettel's famous win at Monza in 2008, and Tost thinks his team has to finish either better than last season.

“The expectations are that we must be within the top five in the constructors’ championship.

“Our biggest competitors are Renault, McLaren, Racing Point and Haas, and the rest we will see."

To finish in the top five, AlphaTauri will likely have to beat both McLaren and Renault, which isn't exactly an easy task. Can they pull it off?