Toro Rosso breaks cover in final 2017 car launch

Toro Rosso has become the final team to unveil its 2017 car ahead of the start of pre-season testing on Monday morning.

The STR12 was unveiled in the pit lane at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday evening, following a filming day for McLaren at the same circuit. The car features a brand new livery using a lighter blue, more silver and a gloss finish in contrast to the matte effect of the Red Bull. There are also clear similarities with the Mercedes launched earlier this week, including the front suspension solution and thin nose.

Having used a year-old Ferrari power unit in 2016, this season sees Toro Rosso revert to previous power unit supplier Renault, and team principal Franz Tost believes it should ensure the team is more competitive than last season.

“For all Formula 1 fans, 2017 should be a year of excitement and uncertainty, as the sport’s technical regulations have undergone one of the biggest changes we have seen in a couple of decades,” Tost said. “In simple terms, the cars are wider, longer, lower, faster, noisier and use bigger tires, promising more grip, higher cornering speeds and hopefully even closer racing.

“Everyone in the team has worked extremely hard to ensure we have a very competitive season. Our chassis is mated to what is possibly the most competitive engine we have had so far in the hybrid era, as we return to Renault power once more.

“Daniil Kvyat will be in his fourth year as a Formula 1 driver and Carlos Sainz will now tackle his third season with us. They are a very talented pairing and they have worked very hard over the winter to be ready for the additional physical challenges involved in driving these new and faster cars. The crew that will look after the cars at the track is also very well prepared and generally, throughout the company we have the stability and strength in depth to tackle this season, when the pace of car development will be much faster than over the past couple of years.

“Finally, we really like the first major livery change of our 12 years on the F1 grid and this new look is reflected in our pit garage, which has also been updated to make life easier while working around these much larger cars.”

Red Bull and Haas also officially launched their new cars on Sunday, less than 24 hours before the start of group running this week. Testing begins at 0900 CET on Monday morning, with the first test taking place until March 2. The second test takes place from March 7-10.