As the sun set on the
Jerez de la Frontera circuit in southern Spain
yesterday evening, the spotlight turned to the
Scuderia Toro Rosso garage and the unveiling of the
STR7. Taking the wraps off the new car that will
defend the team’s colours in this year’s Formula 1
World Championship were the team’s drivers, Daniel
Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.
The STR7, as its name
implies, is the seventh car to bear the Scuderia
Toro Rosso name in Formula 1 and is actually the
third to be conceived and designed entirely in-house
in Faenza and at the wind tunnel facility in Bicester, UK.
Franz Tost:
“A new car unveiled by two new drivers. The day
before testing starts, we can claim to know more
about the drivers than the car! It’s too early to
make predictions for the coming season, although
clearly our aim is to score more points and finish
higher in the championship than in 2011. The team
has continued to expand over the past year in terms
of our facility in Faenza and also in the number of
staff who work there, so we are in better shape than
at any time in our seven year history.”
Daniel
Ricciardo: “The car
definitely looks sexy. And it’s a bit emotional
actually, seeing the first F1 car that will be mine
to drive from the start of the season. With the new
nose, it’s not exactly beautiful, but I’d rather
have a quick car than a pretty one. Now I can’t wait
to drive it tomorrow, when I don’t think I’ll need
an alarm clock to wake up to start the day.”
Jean-Eric
Vergne: “After the testing
and all the work in the simulator, being here in
Jerez unveiling the car, I feel like this is the
real start to my Formula 1 career. It’s very
exciting and the next two days are going to seem
much too long, while I wait to get behind the wheel
of the new car on Thursday and Friday.”
