Toro Rosso has taken the covers off its new car, named the STR9, ahead of the first winter test.
The Italian squad revealed its 2014 machine in the Jerez pitlane on Monday, one day before the start of pre-season testing.
Jean-Eric Vergne has been joined at the team by rookie Daniil Kvyat. The Russian won the GP3 title last year and completed two first practice runs for the team at the end of 2013.
The STR9 is the first car from the Faenza-based outfit to be powered by Renault, with their new V6 Turbo power-unit. Previously they used Cosworth and Ferrari engines in the V8 era.
Vergne and Kvyat were on hand at the Jerez circuit to take the bright red covers off the new car, which features a very prominent thin-tipped nose, or the 'finger' style as some technical experts have - sensibly - branded it. It includes the usual small sidepods and tight rear packaging.
Looking ahead to the up-coming season, Vergne said: "This will be my third season in Formula 1 and I definitely feel better prepared than ever before. From what I have seen in the factory, the same applies to the team. Now we must make the most of winter testing and work hard to ensure that all our efforts pay off. I am confident we have what we need to do well.
"From a driver’s point of view, we will have a lot of new elements to understand and changes that will require us to adapt as quickly as possible. That will be one of the tasks for winter tests, so that we can make the most of the package available right from the first race.
"We will have to adopt a different style of driving, especially in the races, with this new power unit combined with the need to manage fuel, while the changes to the rule regarding levels of downforce will make the cars feel different, offering less grip, which will also take some getting used to. It’s going to be a fascinating start to the year."
Kvyat added: "I am very excited that I am about to start my first season in Formula 1. It will be a year of discovering many new things, which I expect will be very interesting. I can’t wait to actually start the driving part, the best part of my job. Six days of winter testing is not a lot and I will have to see how quickly I get used to the new car, which wasn’t a big issue when I drove the 2013 car."
"Being a rookie means there’s a steep learning curve, but the bright side of this year’s regulation change is that all the drivers will be getting used to a new way of driving, starting from zero. Anyway, I have always liked a big challenge. Physically, I feel ready after a good winter training programme, concentrating a bit on my neck muscles. The team hasn’t set me any specific targets, so its just a case of getting on top of my game as quickly as possible."
Speaking about the design of the car, chief designer Luca Furbatto said: "It has been a fantastic challenge but very hard work. Pretty much all the systems on the car are brand-new and that’s certainly a concern from a reliability point of view as the season progresses, because we won’t have known reference points from the past few years.
"Everyone in Faenza and Bicester has worked very hard and we have invested in different technologies and simulations in order to be as best-prepared as possible.
"We started STR9 in the summer of 2012, initially just purely on the simulation side. When James Key arrived in late 2012, he focused mainly on the 2014 car in terms of planning, simulation targets and internal resourcing whilst we were still designing the STR8.
To his credit we were able to perform the first STR9 wind tunnel test shortly before Christmas 2012, much earlier than previous Toro Rosso projects."
James Key commented on the challenge that the team have faced, due to changing engine supplier: "Changing your engine partner is always a bit of a step into the unknown for both parties, until that working relationship is established and everyone understands how best to operate together.
"Renault were very supportive from the outset, making sure we had a very good overview of what they’ve been up to with the PU and their plans for development, so we were able to get up to speed very quickly with it.
"To switch from a process where you’ve got a well-established and understood way of working with the previous engine supplier to a situation where you have not only a new engine supplier but also a totally different type of power unit that we’re not familiar with at all, is quite a big leap. Not only are you trying to establish the relationship, you’re doing it through what is a very complex project for both sides.
"I have to say, Renault has been excellent at recognising that and helping us out a great deal. They are very proactive and we have daily discussions between our design team and theirs. We have already built up a good working relationship with them."
The team finished eighth in last year's constructors' championship, falling short of their pre-season expectations.
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© Octane Photographic
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Jean-Eric Vergne has been joined at the team by rookie Daniil Kvyat. The Russian won the GP3 title last year and completed two first practice runs for the team at the end of 2013.
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© Toro Rosso |
The STR9 is the first car from the Faenza-based outfit to be powered by Renault, with their new V6 Turbo power-unit. Previously they used Cosworth and Ferrari engines in the V8 era.
Vergne and Kvyat were on hand at the Jerez circuit to take the bright red covers off the new car, which features a very prominent thin-tipped nose, or the 'finger' style as some technical experts have - sensibly - branded it. It includes the usual small sidepods and tight rear packaging.
Looking ahead to the up-coming season, Vergne said: "This will be my third season in Formula 1 and I definitely feel better prepared than ever before. From what I have seen in the factory, the same applies to the team. Now we must make the most of winter testing and work hard to ensure that all our efforts pay off. I am confident we have what we need to do well.
"From a driver’s point of view, we will have a lot of new elements to understand and changes that will require us to adapt as quickly as possible. That will be one of the tasks for winter tests, so that we can make the most of the package available right from the first race.
"We will have to adopt a different style of driving, especially in the races, with this new power unit combined with the need to manage fuel, while the changes to the rule regarding levels of downforce will make the cars feel different, offering less grip, which will also take some getting used to. It’s going to be a fascinating start to the year."
Kvyat added: "I am very excited that I am about to start my first season in Formula 1. It will be a year of discovering many new things, which I expect will be very interesting. I can’t wait to actually start the driving part, the best part of my job. Six days of winter testing is not a lot and I will have to see how quickly I get used to the new car, which wasn’t a big issue when I drove the 2013 car."
"Being a rookie means there’s a steep learning curve, but the bright side of this year’s regulation change is that all the drivers will be getting used to a new way of driving, starting from zero. Anyway, I have always liked a big challenge. Physically, I feel ready after a good winter training programme, concentrating a bit on my neck muscles. The team hasn’t set me any specific targets, so its just a case of getting on top of my game as quickly as possible."
Speaking about the design of the car, chief designer Luca Furbatto said: "It has been a fantastic challenge but very hard work. Pretty much all the systems on the car are brand-new and that’s certainly a concern from a reliability point of view as the season progresses, because we won’t have known reference points from the past few years.
"Everyone in Faenza and Bicester has worked very hard and we have invested in different technologies and simulations in order to be as best-prepared as possible.
"We started STR9 in the summer of 2012, initially just purely on the simulation side. When James Key arrived in late 2012, he focused mainly on the 2014 car in terms of planning, simulation targets and internal resourcing whilst we were still designing the STR8.
To his credit we were able to perform the first STR9 wind tunnel test shortly before Christmas 2012, much earlier than previous Toro Rosso projects."
 |
|
© Octane Photographic
|
"To switch from a process where you’ve got a well-established and understood way of working with the previous engine supplier to a situation where you have not only a new engine supplier but also a totally different type of power unit that we’re not familiar with at all, is quite a big leap. Not only are you trying to establish the relationship, you’re doing it through what is a very complex project for both sides.
"I have to say, Renault has been excellent at recognising that and helping us out a great deal. They are very proactive and we have daily discussions between our design team and theirs. We have already built up a good working relationship with them."
The team finished eighth in last year's constructors' championship, falling short of their pre-season expectations.
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