Toro Rosso goes into the season with confidence, but questions remain.
Becoming the first Formula 1 car to break cover, and doing it online, The Toro Rosso Team unveiled their 2019 challenger, the STR 14, on Monday in front of the world’s media.
Courtesy, Motorsport
The team returns with its blue, silver, and red colors and, once again, will be using Honda engines that it obtained last season–the only team to do so.
With the big brother team, Red Bull Racing, now joining the Japanese engine franchise, Toro Rosso (owned by the Austrian drinks manufacturer), will have two new drivers. One is among a trio of rookies in this season’s world championship, while the other will return to the team, following a two-season absence.
Alexander Albon is a Red Bull-trained driver, who competed last season in the Formula Two championship, only to finish second to another F1 rookie this season, George Russell. But Albon isn’t predicting what might happen this season. He’s taking it race-by-race and seeing what emerges.
“In general, the way I’ve gone about my career and my racing is I never set any goals on anything,” Albon said. “Every year, it was just each race, taking it step-by-step. Focus and race in that session, whatever it would be, practice, qualifying, the race. Just take it as it is.
If you start setting long-term goals, you put unnecessary pressure on yourself. I’m just focused on myself and let’s see how it all goes.” Alexander Albon
While Albon is not certain about what his future might be like, his Russian teammate, Dani Kvyat could tell you many stories about his journey. First a Red Bull driver, he teamed with Daniel Ricciardo. Kvyat was switched with Max Verstappen and demoted in 2016 to the Toro Rosso team. He as dismissed for a season and then picked up by Ferrari as a simulator driver.
Toro Rosso’s Dani Kvyat (photo, Checkered Flag)
This season Kvyat has worked extra hard to return to the team. “We don’t know exactly where we’re going to be,” Kvyat said. “Like everyone else, we are working hard to put the best package together. The best thing I can do for myself is to work as hard as possible on my performance.”
“I believe in the guys in the team,” Kvyat continued. “They know what they’re doing. My engineering crew and I will do everything we can to squeeze the maximum out of the package we have from the team. I think we’re looking good, and I feel that everyone is motivated and focused. I can see that. It gives me confidence for the future.”
The situation in 2019 could turn out to be what it’s like every year for team manager Franz Tost. But Tost feels that early season is no time to be making predictions for the rest of the year. “As is always the case before the start of a season, it’s too early to say, and we don’t want to set a specific target–at least not now,” he said.
But that doesn’t mean Tost’s confidence is wavering. “All things considered, the quality of the synergies with Red Bull Technology, the belief in our very high level of in-house technical knowledge, the impressive development trajectory Honda has shown so far, and the couple of strong young drivers we have available, make me feel confident.”
Toro Rosso had some impressive finishes last season–with Pierre Gasly’s fifth at Bahrain, for instance–an outcome that catapulted him to Red Bull to drive alongside Verstappen. But it remains to be seen if Toro Rosso can move up the grid and become a competitor–instead of being a farm club for Red Bull Racing and others.
Time will tell.
