Toro Rosso were the final team to launch their car for the 2017 season, as the new Renault-powered machine was launched at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of pre-season testing on Monday.
The STR12’s livery is blue, red and silver, in a change from the traditional red, gold and dark blue.
“We really like the first major livery change of our 12 years on the F1 grid,” sais team principle Franz Tost. “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.”
Carlos Sainz will partner Daniil Kvyat, after Red Bull decided to retain him at their junior team having dropped him from the senior Red Bull squad.
Toro Rosso Press Release:
On the eve of the first day of pre-season testing, Scuderia Toro Rosso revealed its 2017 challenger, the STR12. Drivers Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz unveiled the car, featuring a stunning new livery, in the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit pit lane this evening.
Franz Tost (Team Principal) “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. In simple terms, the cars are wider, longer, lower, faster, noisier and use bigger tyres, 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 twelve 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.”
James Key (Technical Director) “With driver continuity and a power unit which made a major step forward last year and which should be developing strongly this year, it just leaves the chassis as an unknown quantity. We always set ourselves ambitious targets and this year, we are taking a more long-term view over the 20 races, with a long list of planned in-season developments. I suspect it will be a very busy year with plenty of performance still to be found.”
Carlos Sainz will be at the wheel tomorrow, Monday 27 February, for the first day of testing, with Daniil Kvyat getting his first taste of the STR12 on Tuesday.