Scuderia Toro Rosso unveils the STR8 in Jerez
Eighth team to unveil its car for the 2013 season, Toro Rosso reveals its ambitions by aiming for sixth place in the Constructors' Championship, with the first car designed under the direction of James Key, a defector from Sauber.
In February, single-seater presentations are numerous. It’s the turn of Scuderia Toro Rosso to unveil its new protégé to the F1 world, the STR8. This launch took place in front of an audience of journalists and photographers at Jerez, in the circuit’s pits where the first tests of the season will take place starting tomorrow, in the presence of all the teams (although Williams will be the only one not running with its new car). Sign of the times, the first images of the new Italian car appeared on Twitter through the team’s official account @ToroRossoSpy.
After a relatively disappointing season in 2012, where the team finished ninth in the World Constructors’ Championship due to a car that did not perform as expected, Toro Rosso hopes to bounce back. During the offseason, they have worked hard, led by team director Franz Tost: “It’s very moving. The team has worked at a very high level to deliver an excellent car and meet the significant expectations we have for this year.” This work was especially carried out under the guidance of James Key, the new technical director [who joined](f1/actualite/13977-F1-Toro-Rosso-Ascanelli-sen-va-Key-arrive.html) from Sauber at the end of last season. Franz Tost continues: “The goal is to finish sixth in the Constructors’ Championship. The STR8 is the first car built under the leadership of James Key and Luca Furbatto.”
The car, like the previous season, will be in the hands of the two most prominent protégés from the Red Bull pool, namely Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo. Both drivers did a really good job last year, and I am convinced that if we provide them with a good car, they will manage to produce surprising results, added Franz Tost.
