CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA | The car was already leaked during the filming day the team held in Misano, and an official picture of the car was released due to that. But, now, the car has been officially unveiled. The STR-13, powered by Honda and driven by Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly.
Today, with the beginning of the pre-season testing at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, the teams that had not unveiled their cars yet or had unveiled it unoficially, like Toro Rosso, have made their official presentation acts.
At 8.10 local time, drivers Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley have uncovered the STR-13, the car they will be driving on the 2018 season. The car’s major change is the new engine, as the team switched from Renault to Honda.
Toro Rosso ended in seventh place in Constructors’ Championship last season. For this year, their performance and options are uncertain due to the new engine, which has proved so far to be an unreliable and slow engine since its debut in 2015 with McLaren. But, its improvement from 2017 to 2018 is, like it happens every year, a mystery.
“I am really looking forward to begin this new season and enter a new era for our team, working together with Honda.” Said Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost. “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. 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.”
Today, the official pre-season testing in Montmeló has started today. The season will oficially begin the 25th of March with the Australian GP in Albert Park.