Toro Rosso has unveiled its new car ahead of the teams 13th season in Formula One. With a car design that has been in the works for almost a year, the team says that adopting the new power unit late in the process has been challenging
The STR13 has been revealed ahead of the new season. The first collaboration between Toro Rosso and Honda made its public debut moments before the first day of pre-season testing got underway at the Catalunya Circuit in Barcelona.
Adorned with a similar livery to the 2017 season challenger, with the blue, red and silver theme is maintained. The STR13 marks the first time that Toro Rosso has produced a car with an exclusive engine partnership.
With the upgraded chassis and RA618H power unit package developed over the short winter months, the team now has just eight days of track testing to evaluate its work.
Speaking to the media ahead of testing, Franz Tost, team principal at Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda, highlighted his optimism regarding the collaboration. “I am really looking forward to beginning this new season and entering a new era for our team, working together with Honda.
“It’s an exciting time for Toro Rosso because we have not had our own engine supplier before, so to partner with a manufacturer with the history Honda has, will be great. We also have two accomplished rookies for the 2018 season.”
Previous success means Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley will form the 2018 driver pairing. Gasly won the 2016 GP2 Championship, while Hartley is a double World Endurance champion and 24 Hour of Le Mans winner.
“They are not completely new because both Pierre and Brendon drove a handful of races for us last year, but this will be their first full season in Formula 1,” added Tost. “We have been working very hard on the STR13, and I’m happy we do not have to wait too long to see it running.”
March 1, 2018
