Our drivers have matured and are ready - Toro Rosso
Having completed another 85 laps on the final day of winter testing, Scuderia Toro Rosso is confident it is entirely ready to go racing, starting with the Australian Grand Prix in 2 weeks time.
Max Verstappen completed winter testing for the team, driving the STR10-03 that has been used for the entire final 4-day test.
Toro Rosso managed 5536 kilometres (T01 1561.319 km +T02 1917.86 km + T03 2057.51 km) this winter, 2700 Km by Sainz and another 2837 Km by Verstappen.
Franz Tost an James Key praised the team for their efforts during an intense month.
“This was the last test session in Barcelona and we were lucky with the good weather conditions, which is always important", Tost said.
"The performance of the car is promising, as the new upgrades are working well and I’d like to thank all the engineers in Faenza and Bicester for the great job they’ve done. I also want to thank the production department, as all the parts arrived on time.
“We arrived in Jerez exactly a month ago with two rookies and we leave Barcelona tonight with two young drivers who are ready to make their Formula 1 debut. They have definitely grown as drivers in a very short time, showing a good learning curve as well as growing in confidence as the days have gone by. Pre-season testing has been a crucial part of the year for us to prepare the car, drivers and team for the season ahead. We’ve completed a total of 5536 km – which is already more than the total we covered last year, including the in-season tests – showing good reliability and performance.
“Of course we still have some work to do back at the factory and a lot of valuable data to go through before we fly to Australia, but all in all we achieved our goals. We are all very much looking forward to the start of the season in Melbourne.”
The team's technical director, James Key proved similarly optimistic, reiterating that the team thus far is happy with feedback from its rookie drivers.
“Twelve days of very intensive winter testing have gone by very quickly", said the Brit.
"The team has done a great job, because the mileage we have put together with our partners at Renault has been excellent, covering more kilometres in these four tests than we did in all testing opportunities last year.
"We began with our car in 'Launch spec' just to get miles under our belt, allowing our drivers to settle in. Then we brought what we consider the race car to test 3 in Barcelona and it has performed exactly as we had expected in terms of the numbers we were seeing in the wind tunnel and from the chassis. Is it enough? We must wait until Melbourne to have an answer, but so far we are happy and the drivers’ feedback has been positive. The staff in the factory and in the wind tunnel worked very hard to produce effectively two different cars in a matter of months.
"With two new drivers, we put them through a massive programme, aimed at giving them as much track time as possible, going through all the procedures that need to be well rehearsed for Melbourne. They have both done a competent job and we are encouraged by their attitude and approach. Now it’s time to put everything together and go racing."
