By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
Scuderia Toro Rosso continues to inch its way up the grid and show flashes of becoming a real force within the sport. The Faenza-based team finished seventh in the constructor’s standings, all despite having to adapt to losing Max Verstappen to senior team, Red Bull Racing. However, the return of Daniil Kvyat began to pay dividends towards the end of the season, most notably at Singapore where he displayed a brilliant challenge to Verstappen. All things considered, returning Kvyat and the highly regarded Carlos Sainz Jr. is something that helps give the team a good baseline of talent and experience for 2017.
Drivers
| No. 26 | Daniil Kvyat | (Russia) |
| No. 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | (Spain) |
Key Personnel
| Team Principal | Franz Tost |
| Technical Director | James Key |
| Team Manager | Graham Watson |
Car
Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12
Becoming One with Each Other
The biggest news coming out of the Franz Tost-led squad is the switch from Ferrari to Renault power. The move is in large part because of senior squad Red Bull Racing running a TAG Heuer –branded Renault power unit. It isn’t fully known if Toro Rosso will badge its engine, but it’s one move closer to being in unison with Red Bull Racing.
As previously mentioned, the team returns its driver combination of Sainz and Kvyat, which should provide some stability and help with development in a technically challenging season.
The team held onto James Key, which is vital as they try to move forward. The STR12 design has notable comparisons to that of Mercedes’ W08, so if the power is there from the engine they could certainly surprise early on. The livery also sees a change with primary colors of blue and silver, with red accenting some of the car’s trim.
A new season always brings new hope, so there is reason to be optimistic that the STR12 and talented driving duo can do some big things this season. It is quite possible that the team could challenge for a top five slot in the constructor’s championship. However, it is more likely that they will fill in around sixth or seventh when all comes to a conclusion.
