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.
 
By being 2016 Formula Renault 2.0 champion and 2017 European Formula 3 champion he has the required 40 points in the last 3 years to qualify for one.
 
Remember when Vandorne was in the McLaren junior programme and turned down a Torro Rosso drive? Not gone too well for him. Take it Lando. Ricciardo could leave and you could be in the Red Bull by 2019.
 
Does Norris have a super licence?

norris.JPG


????
 
Lando will not get into Red Bull because they have Sainz or Gasly to fall back on. As far as this story its a rather strange situation where Toro Rosso now seems to be the team to blood young drivers for all teams not just Red Bull so it seems right now
 
I respectively disagree. Red Bull have a history of promoting the new hot star on the block above their established talent (see Verstappen, Kvyat and Vettel). I reckon if Norris showed on and wowed the socks off people for half a season then he'd be in that Red Bull seat faster than you could say 'contract clause'.
 
RasputinLives Norris vs Verstappen I think Max might actually headbutt someone if he is showed up by Norris

I wonder if Mclaren have an expensive contract clause or not to make Red Bull pay a hefty bill to sign him for a youngster? They will a huge fight on their hands or potentially ask for a driver trade which I can see possibly being Carlos Sainz
 
Last edited:
Since we don't have a thread for engines then I suppose Hartley's fireworks should go in here. Anyone know how many laps each of this season Honda engines have done?

From the BBC: "Brendon Hartley's been forced to stop in the middle of the track. Some very unpleasant sounds coming from his engine. Looked as if there were flames coming from the exhaust at the back of the Toro Rosso."
 
I think there is a lap counter somewhere. Good turn of pace in it though. Gasly in top ten in both sessions.
 
On another note I would love to see a driver as entertaining as Markalov in F1. I don't by any means think he is a future champion but boy is he great to watch.
 
Back
Top Bottom