In what’s been a tight midfield battle, Toro Rosso has outperformed the likes of Williams, Renault and Haas so far in 2017.

In an exclusive Q&A interview with GP Gazette, Tost says that Toro Rosso is very much in contention to hold on to fifth place in the constructors’ standings – but doesn’t see his squad chasing down Force India, which is currently best of the rest behind the big three.

“We’re now in fifth place in the championship, and very close with the others as well,” he said.

“That means after each race it could change. But at least we have scored the points. I think we have a package which is quite competitive from the car side, and also from the engine side.

“The drivers are doing a good job, and also the team has made steps forward.

“Force India has scored many, many points, especially in Barcelona. They have a very strong package, I must say with Mercedes, they are very strong on the car side. They also made quite good steps forward.

“I do not want to become high-headed. I think the fifth place is realistic, and I’ll be more than happy at the end of the year when we score the fifth place. Then I’ll invite you for a dinner with a party!”

For more with Franz Test, check out the latest issue of GP Gazette.