Gasly: Spa shows Honda's progress

Pierre Gasly says that Toro Rosso's performance on Sunday at Spa, demonstrates the progress that Honda have made with their power unit.

In the past, Honda have frequently been left behind at Spa, especially during the straight sections - during their poor partnership with McLaren a year ago.

Gasly managed to finish Q2 in 11th and his team-mate Brendon Hartley in 12th and then the Frenchman went on to secure a ninth place finish.

"It's been a really positive race and weekend for us because on such a track with such a long straight we knew we would struggle compared to the others," Gasly explained to MotorsportWeek.

"To be just outside the top ten in qualifyinf and finishing ninth in the actual race was over our expectations. We know with Ferrari and the new upgraded engine they have they are pretty fast down the straights.

"So all the first and last sector, we are lacking compared to them, but on the other side drivability and reliabiity have been really strong all weekend and Honda is coming with some upgrades for the rest of the season.

"So looking at the positives if we are able to finish in the top ten at such a track, it means we have done some progress since the beginning of the year, so I am pretty happy with it.