Launch of the new Toro Rosso, the STR5

The Scuderia Toro Rosso just launched the new STR5 this morning. It’s the first single-seater completely manufactured by the Italian team. Indeed, the technological collaboration that had lasted for four years with the parent team Red Bull is coming to an end as it is now prohibited.

Franz Tost stated: « 2010 is a pivotal year since we had to take on the design and manufacture of the car for the first time. Creating the necessary infrastructure to accomplish these additional tasks has been a challenging task, perhaps even more so than the manufacturing of the STR5. »

« We hired 80 people and expanded our premises. We acquired a wind tunnel in Bicester, England, which belonged to Red Bull. It will take time for all the highly skilled staff to learn to work together. Making predictions for 2010 is tricky, but we should aim to finish in the top eight of the constructors’ championship. We must also be able to provide the elements for our young drivers to improve, » he continued.

« Our car has a conservative design. The double diffuser that was introduced mid-season with us last year has been optimized.

Technical director Giorgio Ascanelli added: « We have increased the team to 200 people. Being recognized as a constructor means that we now have the intellectual property of many components such as the monocoque, front and rear crash structures, roll hoops, the aerodynamic package, suspensions, the fuel system, and the cooling system. »

Sébastien Buemi claims to feel much more confident at the dawn of this second Formula 1 season with the Toro Rosso team. The Swiss driver made his Grand Prix debut last year and scored points in his first race. Now, he knows most of the circuits and the best teams: « To be honest, I feel much more confident. First of all, I know almost all the circuits even though Korea and Canada appear on the 2010 calendar. I feel much more confident because I know how a weekend unfolds. It wasn’t the case in the past. »

« Being with the same team, the same engineers, and working with the same people is another very positive point. It is difficult to know what we will be able to achieve because we do not know the performance of the other cars, but I am quite confident. »

His teammate, Jaime Alguersuari, also feels much more confident as he starts this new year with Toro Rosso. The 19-year-old driver became the youngest driver to compete in a Grand Prix last year when he replaced Sébastien Bourdais from the Hungarian race onward: « This year will be much longer than last year. At least we have time to prepare before the season. »

« We dedicated a large part of the winter to training in Austria and Spain. We had time to prepare, and we still have time. This doesn’t mean it will be easier than last year, because F1 is always challenging, but I believe things will improve. We will be more competitive and we will be ready for the start of the season. »

« Last year, everything happened so quickly even though I didn’t even know the car or the tracks.

Alguersuari, who was recently confirmed at Toro Rosso, claims to have never had any doubts about his place in the team: « After Abu Dhabi where we finished the championship, the situation was clear to me. I needed to have major training during the winter until the first race. So I was a Red Bull driver. My contract was with this team and everything went perfectly. »

Sébastien Buemi will have the honor of making the first laps with the STR5 in Valencia, on the occasion of the first pre-season tests. He will be followed by Jaime Alguersuari.