Toro Rosso STR13 Honda

Active: 2018
Team: Scuderia Toro Rosso

Team: James Key (TD), Jody Egginton (DTD), Paolo Marabini (CD Composite and Structures), Mark Tatham (CD Mechanical and Systems), Brendan Gilhome (HA), Franck Sanchez (HAD), Guillaume Dezoteux (HVP), Alessandro Poggi (HEL), Graham Watson (TM), Franz Tost (TP)
Drivers: Pierre Gasly (10), Brendon Hartley (28)
Team name: Toro Rosso Honda

It was no secret that Toro Rosso's switch to Honda power was a learning year to evaluate the Japanese power unit ahead of Red Bull switching to is as well in 2019. But it all came as a bit of a surprise, as Honda was first heading to supply McLaren and Sauber for 2018. But, with McLaren terminating their partnership after three disappointing years, Sauber was left without a possible gearbox supply from McLaren, forcing it to return to Ferrari for an even closer relationship that saw the team renamed Alfa Romeo Racing.

After McLaren and Honda parted ways, Toro Rosso was the only solution after Sauber, then being rebranded as Alfa Romeo, backed out of their 2018 agreement with Honda.

This basically left Honda without a customer team until some lobbying managed to resolve a deal with Toro Rosso. The Italian team were able to produce their own transmission to partner with the new engine. The late switch complicated matters somewhat for Toro Rosso as they were unable to prepare in a timely fashion.

"It was very late but we were confident that Honda had planned their way out of a difficult 2017,’ said James Key, the team's Technical Director. "But there was a certain amount of anticipation of this possibly happening, so on that basis, we prepared ourselves for a reschedule of our production deadlines. Everyone collaborated very well to get the design process underway and the essential data transferred as early as possible between ourselves and our colleagues at Honda."

Even while mounting positions are fixed and specified by the regulations, the volume and the location of ancillaries, as well as cooling requirements were, of course, different on the Honda power unit. The engine notably follows Mercedes' architecture with the turbine at the front of the engine, the MGU-H in between both cylinder banks, and the compressor at the rear end of the cylinder block. This was quite different from Renault's approach, which has the turbine, MGU-H and compressor all positions behind the cylinder block.

"Luckily the Honda engine is a very tidy installation indeed so in fact, the implications on architecture weren’t particularly significant," highlighted Key. "There was a lot of engineering work to do but it didn’t fundamentally change the architecture of the car. We were able to take what we’ve already done and transferred it to a Honda installation. It also meant we could redesign our gearbox in a way that allowed some of the rear suspension internals to be better installed, so there were several benefits to the installation itself."

The chassis itself saw less changes, the biggest change being the return of the thumb tip nose after using a Mercedes-style nose in 2017. The team retained its high mounted front suspension and also kept similar sidepod shape and air inlets.

Results

In the 21 races of the 2018 World Championship, the Toro Rosso STR13 managed to score points only eight times, three with Hartley and five with Gasly. At the end of the championship, the Scuderia finished ninth in the constructors’ classification on 33 points.

Specifications

Chassis: Composite monocoque structure, designed and built in-house, carrying the engine as fully stressed member
Wheels: AppTech, forged magnesium alloy
Tyres: Pirelli
Front suspension: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, dampers
Rear suspension: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, dampers
Brakes: Carbon - Carbon with Brembo callipers
Electronics: MESL standard electronic control unit
Fuel: Exxon Mobil
Gearbox: Eight-speed gearbox, longitudinally mounted with hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation. One-piece carbon maincase by Toro Rosso, internals by Red Bull Technology

Dimensions

Length: ~5000mm
Height: 950 mm (minus T camera)
Track width: 1,600 mm (front); 1,550 mm (rear)
Weight: 733kg (FIA mininum; incl. driver and lubricants, tank empty)
Width: 2,000 mm (FIA maximum)

Powertrain

Designation: Honda RA618H
Type: turbocharged, 90° 1.6l V6, assisted with kinetic and heat ERS
Valves: 24 (4 per cylinder)
Rev limit: 15,000rpm
Pressure charging: Single turbocharger, unlimited boost pressure (typical maximum 3.5 bar abs due to fuel flow limit)
Bore: 80mm
Stroke: 53mm
Crank height: 90mm
Exhaust: Single exhaust outlet, from turbine on car centre line
Injection: Direct fuel injection, limited to 500bar
Weight: Undisclosed (at least 145kg)
Energy recovery system: Integrated Hybrid energy recovery via electrical Motor Generator Units
Energy Store: Lithium-Ion battery solution (up to 4MJ per lap), between 20 and 25 kg
Energy Store: Battery solution (up to 4MJ per lap), between 20 and 25 kg