One of the last teams to showcase its Formula 1 car for this season, Toro Rosso revealed the new STR13 ahead of the pre-testing in Barcelona. Toro Rosso's 2018 F1 contender uses a Honda power unit for the first time, while it will be piloted by two young drivers Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly behind the wheel. The STR13 looks identical to last year's version but gets changes to meet the new regulations. However, the real challenge for the team has been its switch from Renault power units to that of Honda and had to make the compatible over the short winter months. The livery is nearly identical on the 2018 STR13 with the RedBull and Honda badges taking more prominence.
(The Toro Rosso STR13 F1 and the team)
Speaking of the new car, team principal Franz Tost said, "I am really looking forward to beginning this new season and enter a new era for our team, working together with Honda. It's an exciting time for Toro Rosso because we have not had our own engine supplier before, so to partner with a manufacturer, with the history Honda has, will be great."
"We have two accomplished rookies for the 2018 season," continued Tost. "They are not completely new because both Pierre and Brendon drove a handful of races for us last year, but this will be their first full season in Formula 1."
(Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly with Toro Rosso STR13)
Katsuhide Moriyama, Chief Officer for Brand and Communication Operations at Honda added: "I am delighted that our new car is here and ready for the start of winter testing, having been designed and built to a very tight schedule. That is a tribute to the dedication of the Honda and Scuderia Toro Rosso personnel who have already learned to work very well together, developing the STR13 chassis and RA618H power unit package over the short winter months."
Team drivers Hartley and Gasly had a go at the STR13 in Barcelona. While both the drivers are F1 rookies, they have competed in a few races last season and will be starting their first full-fledged year into the sport in 2018. That said, both drivers have strong credentials to back them. While Gasly has won the 2016 GP2 (F2) championship, Hartley is a double World Endurance Championship and 24 Hour of Le Mans mirror. That said, it is the Honda engine's reliability everyone will have their eyes on.
