Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost says he will not be asking Carlos Sainz to stop taking risks during races despite the Spaniard's race-ending collision with Lance Stroll in Bahrain.
Sainz dived down the inside of Turn 1 in Sakhir as Williams rookie Stroll turned into the corner, taking both men out of the grand prix. The incident left Sainz with a three-place grid penalty which he will serve after qualifying at this weekend's Russian Grand Prix.
Tost says he has no problem with either of his drivers taking risks and is sure Sainz will come back strongly.
"He was fighting for a position within the top ten, he knew that the car was competitive -- and that he could go for it," Tost told the official F1 website. "It was one moment of over-optimism -- but that is part of our game! I predict that we will see some fantastic races from Carlos this season."
When asked if he prefers a driver willing to take risks to a more cautious approach, he said: "If you don't risk anything you don't get anywhere, so I support drivers who take risks. I hardly criticise a driver if he risks something and it doesn't work out."
The Italian squad is currently sixth in the constructors' championship but it is part of what looks set to remain a tight midfield battle, with just nine points covering Force India, Williams, Toro Rosso and Haas. Tost says the team expects to have both cars running strongly this weekend in Russia.
"That we will make it to Q3 with both cars and that we will score points with both cars. Nothing more - and also nothing less! And that this will be the standard for all the races to come."