New teams not competitive 'today or tomorrow'

Franz Tost inserts foot in mouth because now that his team has to design their own car they not competitive either

(GMM) Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost does not expect F1's three new teams to be ready to challenge their more experienced rivals in 2010.

After the first three races of the season, Toro Rosso has only 2 more points than the non-scoring Lotus, HRT and Virgin teams.

But Austrian Tost told the APA news agency: "The level of the midfield in formula one is very high, close to the top.

"It will take them (the new teams) at least one or two years to reach this level.

"It is mainly about how 200 to 300 people are able to cooperate together, and that is not the work of today or tomorrow," the 54-year-old added.

For the first time since the Minardi takeover, Toro Rosso is this year fully in charge of the design and build of its 2010 cars, rather than relying on the work of Red Bull Technology.

But even though independent in that area, the Faenza based team is still completely owned by the energy drinks company, and nearly always the subject of speculation that it is for sale.

"There is no uncertainty, and too many rumors in the past," insisted Tost. "Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz are the ones to decide, anyway, so you would have to ask them."