Scuderia Toro Rosso’s new car, expected to be called the STR4, will be unveiled next week at the Barcelona test. The new car, which is likely to bear a close resemblance to its sister team Red Bull’s new RB5, has yet to be seen in public. The official F1 website reports that the car has been tested privately in Italy already, however.
Toro Rosso are currently testing at Jerez with their 2008 car, in the hands of re-signed Sebastien Bourdais and new driver Sebastian Buemi. STR had a stellar 2008, and won their first race at Monza with Sebastian Vettel. This year, the highly-rated German has moved up to the senior Red Bull squad to partner Mark Webber.
The team has also been rocked by the departure of team boss Gerhard Berger, to whom many observers attributed the success of 2008. STR will continue to be powered by Ferrari engines for the upcoming season, and are reported to be benefiting from Maranello’s KERS technology as well. Sister team Red Bull are thought to be using Renault technology, from whom they source their powerplants.
The Barcelona test, which is to start on March 9, will be teams’ final opportunity to test their cars before the season opens in Melbourne on March 29.
