Technical change at Toro Rosso?

Franz Tost did little on Friday to dispel speculation that Toro Rosso technical director Giorgio Ascanelli is leaving the Italian team.

Ascanelli is not present in Hockenheim and officially is “on holiday”, though rumours in the paddock have been suggesting his absence may be more permanent. When asked directly during the FIA Friday press conference, Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost refused to be drawn, saying: “I can only tell you that Giorgio Ascanelli is on holiday and there’s confidentiality between the two parties. That’s all that I can say to this.”

When pressed on the matter Tost replied “Sorry, I’ve said everything.”

After a good start to season, in which they took points in both Australia and Malaysia, Toro Rosso have been left behind by the rest of the midfield pack, failing to score in the last seven grands prix. Nevertheless, Tost struck an upbeat note, suggesting that luck had not been with his squad and that better things could be just around the corner.

“The season’s not over yet,’ he said. “We started the season quite well. We scored points at the beginning and then we struggled a little bit. For example, in Monaco, Jean-Eric Vergne was in seventh place ten laps from the end but then it started to rain a little bit and di Resta and some others passed him. In Valencia, Daniel had a good chance to score points but then he had a crash with Petrov.

“I think that we will come up with some new upgrades for the next races and I hope that it’s wet tomorrow here and on Sunday because it looks as if the car and the drivers together are quite competitive in the wet. And I’m quite positive and optimistic for the second half of the season.”