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Carlos Sainz Jr says the Toro Rosso Formula 1 team must improve its performance with pitstops after another costly error in the German Grand Prix.

The Spaniard was running 12th, after making up a trio of positions in the opening few laps, when a problem with the front right at the first stop dropped him to 19th.

It comes after the Spaniard missed out on a potential podium finish in Monaco due to a pitstop error when running ahead of Sergio Perez, who went on to finish third, led to him finishing eighth.

"We are just not good enough in that area," said Sainz, who started 15th after a three-place grid penalty for impeding Felipe Massa in qualifying.

"We had improved it, we were maybe a bit better, a bit faster, but mistakes are still there, so it's not good enough."

Sainz, who ultimately finished 14th, said the fact it happened so early in the Hockenheim race meant the penalty was greater because the field was more bunched.

"We managed to recover from 15th to 12th, ready to go hunting for the points, but when we did a first pitstop it was a disaster.

"We ended up behind all of the slower cars that we had overtaken in the first seven laps.

"From there you lose track position, you have to overtake all over again, you need to use your tyres to overtake them and your race is backwards from then on.

"[We lost] around four seconds, but being the first pitstop it's four positions as we are all together, battling."

Sainz felt a point was possible, even though a lack of power from Toro Rosso's year-old spec Ferrari engine hampered it at Hockenheim, as he could have joined Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez's late dice.

"It's very difficult to tell [if we could have scored points] but more than P14 was possible," he said.

"We didn't do the maximum that the car was capable of doing because we didn't get the pitstop right, so that's why I'm not happy.

"I'm sure it would've been the possibility, there would've been a chance for the last point with Alonso and Perez, but our race was too compromised with the pitstop."