Toro Rosso drivers disappointed with Australia showing

Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly says that his entire team is disappointed after an engine problem forced him to stop on track in the Australian Grand Prix.

The Frenchman had to pull over on lap 13 after an MGU-H problem.

This comes after encouraging testing for the team in Barcelona, where they did not experience any problems with their new Honda engines.

There has even been talk of Red Bull switching to Honda engines from 2019, such was the positivity around Toro Rosso after winter testing.

Gasly said: “It wasn’t a great start to the season for me. After turn 12 the engine just switched off, it came back on again, but I was really slow and I couldn’t upshift.

“I tried to return to the pits and then I was told to stop.

“It’s a shame, especially as we didn’t have anything go wrong in testing.

“I think everyone in the team is disappointed to have an issue at the first race but we need to look at the positives and learn from the negatives to come back stronger in Bahrain.”

Brendon Hartley, who suffered with a flat spotted tyre and a puncture added: “It wasn’t a great race for me today.

“I locked the brakes into turn one and flat-spotted the tyres, then on the second stint I had a puncture.

“It was always going to be tough to get in the points today.”