In real life ,stuff $%!t happens and Pogacar is a little older, lots of close calls, crashes without serious side effects. UAE has good stable, with multiple early 20 something stallions. Del Toro has been going out of his way, including a few minutes ago to speak respectfully about teammates. He does have some details incorrect, keeps saying " older" riders and including Ayuso, who as you noted is a year older, hardly an elder statesman by any stretch.
So maybe it's just subconscious order that Del Toro feels slightly behind the others. No matter what order everyone is better as a whole, Pogacar is obvious beneficiary, he has best support in the business.
One thing that doesn't get much mention is how often, skinny Del Toro finds himself contesting sprints, and with Pidcock giving Pedersen a look in early stage, the fact that Del Toro squirted passed him is impressive. Don't know if his climbing or TTs are Pogacar comparable but his sprinting is decent.