Key: Toro Rosso not affected my engine delay

James Key has denied that Toro Rosso have been compromised ahead of the new season after a delay in the announcement of their engine supplier.

The Italian team struggled last season as their Renault engine lacked power in comparison to the Mercedes and Ferrari units used by other teams.

Last month the team revealed they will use Ferrari engines this year, but technical director Key refuses to admit the late deal will hurt their chances.

“Yes and no, because when you've got a tricky engine situation it's always a compromise,” he told Sky Sports.

"There is a compromise because you've really got to be optimising your car around what is an incredibly complicated installation of these power units.

“Back in March is when you're really getting to grips with what you're trying to do.

"So it does compromise from a technical viewpoint. In terms of what the team is doing, I don't think it makes the slightest bit of difference. You simply shuffle plans around accordingly.

"We've got various stages of planning, there are some really good guys to work on all this stuff, so we've got a lot of very competent production guys and designers who are working hard to make sure that we're in the best shape possible.

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