Current AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso)

Toro Rosso

FIA Entry: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Car 18: Sebastien Buemi
Car 19: Jamie Alguersuari
Engine: Ferrari V8
Team Principa:l Franz Tost
Technical Director: Giorgi Ascanelli
Race Engineer Car 18: Riccardo Adami
Race Engineer Car 19:Andrea Landi

Stats as of end 2010

First Entered 2006
Races Entered 90
Race Wins 1
Pole Positions 1
Fastest Laps 0
Driver World Championships 0
Constructor World Championships 0

The Beginning

Toro Rosso took over the Minardi entry in F1 in 2006. Minardi took part in 345 Grands Prix between 1985 and 2005 without a single win, podium, pole or fastest lap but were the starting point for double World Champion Fernando Alonso and race winners Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli.

Red Bull Takeover

At the end of 2005 current Minardi team owner Paul Stoddart sold the team to Red Bull to allow them to create a “Junior” team to bring new driver talent into F1. The Red Bull take over resulted in a change of name to Squadra Toro Rosso and then Scuderia Toro Rosso amidst much complaint from Minardi fans. For their first season in 2006 drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed used the STR1 chassis, which was essentially the Red Bull RB1 car. These were fitted with rev and air flow limited 3.0 litre Ford engines to allow Toro Rosso to compete in the new 2.4 litre formula in place for 2006.

Liuzzi scored a point for the team at the US Grand Prix, a race where only 9 cars finished. The development of the new engines by the other teams put Toro Rosso in a very uncompetitive position and they tended to qualify toward the back of the grid and run in those positions in the race.

Ferrari Customer

With the senior Red Bull team moving to Renault power for 2007 Toro Rosso picked up their Ferrari engine contract. Speed and Liuzzi continued as drivers. The STR2 proved unreliable and both drivers made mistakes during the year leading to speculation that they would be replaced. Speed eventually lost his seat to BMW test driver, and Red Bull junior driver, Sebastien Vettel. In changeable weather at the Chinese Grand Prix Vettel bought his car home 4th with Liuzzi 6th.

For 2008 Vettel was joined by reigning Champ Car Series winner Sebastien Bourdais as Liuzzi moved to Force India. Bourdais finished 7th at the opening race of the season in Australia and Vettel then took 4th in Monaco. As the season progressed Vettel in particular was a regular points scorer and in wet qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix put his car on pole. The rain continued into race day and Vettel went on to win the race becoming the youngest ever Grand Prix victor. More points finishes for Vettel in the final races of the season put Toro Rosso 6th in the Constructors Championship and earned him a place in the Red Bull senior team for 2009.

Sebastien Buemi joined Bourdais for 2009 and after the highs of 2008 the team came back down to earth in ’09. Bourdais was dismissed mid season due to poor race results and Jaime Alguersuari took his seat for the remainder of the season. The drivers managed a few low points finished but the team dropped to 10th in the Constructors Championship.

Buemi and Alguersuari continued for 2010 and again picked up some minor points placing’s, helped by the revised points scoring system for the season. The team finished 9th in the Constructors Championship but were the lowest placed of the established F1 teams.

2011

Toro Rosso continue with the same driver line up in 2011 and, with the STR6 car and Ferrari engines, hope they can move further up the grid.

 

[RasputinLives]

Just like McLaren for last 3 years then?

 

[Bill Boddy]

No RasputinLives I expect the Honda engine to have progressed by next season, but not enough to be real competition for Mercedes or Ferrari.

 

[RasputinLives]

If I'm honest I don't think we'll notice too much difference at the front. Red Bull have shown they can build around an engine with lower power and still be just about competitive at most tracks. Whether they'll be less reliable or not is the question. The obvious answer is yes but let's face it they've not been bullet proof with the renault either.

 

[Il_leone]

Red Bull thinks they could have still won with the Honda engine.. the one track where the Honda engine did seem to work was Bahrain so a better chassis bolted to it might have been the case

 

[RasputinLives]

The Honda engine might still be underpowered and a little unreliable but it appears there are circuits that the Toro Rosso turns up at and has genuine pace. Hungary and Bahrain being the primary ones so far.

Do we think that is all down to the chassis or does the Honda engine just suit some places? They are getting better performance than McLaren at these tracks with arguably a worse driver pairing. So is that due to Torro Rosso having a better car or a Honda improvement?

 

[The Artist.....]

The Honda engine might still be underpowered and a little unreliable but it appears there are circuits that the Toro Rosso turns up at and has genuine pace. Hungary and Bahrain being the primary ones so far.

At the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix, the McLarens started 7th and 8th, and finished 6th and 10th
At the 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix, the Toro Rossos started 6th and 8th, and finished 6th and 11th.

McLaren have undoubtedly gone backwards this season, but this may have a lot to do with the compromises on the chassis to integrate the Renault engine. We will only get a real guide for whether it was the right move to dump Honda next year.

 

[RasputinLives]

Yeah but Bharian 2017 the McLaren's started 15th and 17th and then came home with a 14th and a DNS. Whilst in Bharain 2018 Torro Rosso started 6th and 11th and came home with a 4th and a DNF. So clear progress.

My question wasn't really about McLaren though it was more about which element is it that is making the Torro Rosso competitive at selected circuits - is it the chassis or is the Honda engine coming to life in certain scenarios?

 

[FB]

It's the genius driving of Brendan Hartley.

 

[Il_leone]

the Toro Rosso was good at Monaco, Bahrain and Hungary. Two of the three tracks were slow, low corner speed circuits so power is not important but chassis shows having much better grip and performance so you can argue that compared with Mclaren's performances

I can;t explain Bahrain at the moment

 

[RasputinLives]

I bet Lando Norris wishes he'd took that Torro Rosso seat now.

 

[RasputinLives]

The timing of this tweet from Red Bull about their junior programme can't really be a coincidence.

Red Bull Racing on Twitter

Maybe a reminder that Dan Ticktum is not far off getting a super licence and being eligible for promotion to F1.

 

[F1Brits_90]

What happens next year because if gasly goes. Because hartley is likely going & ticktum is probally 2020 for superlicense reasonz. So could be 2 non redbull backed drivers at a red bull sister team

& i dont rate him highly enough yet. In last yr of GP2 he won in hindsight in an easier year. Also he was in his 3rd season & giovinanzzi was a rookie. If giovinanzzi hadnt give his teammate a 4 race headstart. He mightve been champ instead of losing by 8pts

 

[Il_leone]

Red Bull want to promote Dan Ticktum who was not allowed to test because he was banned for a year due to ... dangerous driving

Lando Norris might still replace Vandoorne at Spa according rumours so Vandoorne might go to Toro Rosso - 4 years later as part of the deal to get James Key to Mclaren

It will be interesting to see whose career Mclaren see as less important so to speak

Carlos Sainz will not go back to Toro Rosso - he does not want to and Red Bull are not gaining anything out if it but they seem to be worried about the intensive rivalry he and Verstappen will have

Gasly therefore has a chance getting promoted to Red Bull something I did not see

 

[RasputinLives]

Yeah Ticktum got a year ban from all Motorsport for overtaking 10 cars under SC conditions to get up to where a rival was (Ricky Collard) so he could drive in to him deliberately as pay back for being taken off earlier in the race.

If Ticktum wins F3 this year though he does get his superlicence.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives THat is the only Red Bull junior who is being pushed because they seem to have burned them all out before their careers are fully developed

 

[F1Brits_90]

Interesting from ted kravitz on the notebook. that the new honda engine is fantastic they reportedly have a gain on 0.5 - 0.6 with this upgrade. it seems finally after 4 years of being too loud, over promising, raising expectations & under delivering. They gotten their acts together & realised instead of making ludicrous predictions. stay in the background & quietly improve

 

[Bill Boddy]

....the new honda engine is fantastic they reportedly have a gain on 0.5 - 0.6 with this upgrade....

Is that horse power?

 

[F1Brits_90]

Is that horse power?

Yeah its a mclaren special

But no they think from FP1 & FP2 running/comparison. Its half a second a lap

 

[RasputinLives]

Got to give credit to Toro Rosso at the moment. They accidentally seemed to have stumbled into a driver line up in Albon/Kvyat that are both pushing each other and the car on.

 

[Brogan]

Toro Rosso will now be known as AlphaTauri.