Everything is new for 2013 at Toro Rosso. Except the drivers. And the steering wheel. That's from last year. But other than that, it's a whole new world.
The STR7 was pretty much an evolution of the STR6, and since both previous cars had some problems with weight distribution, the old design had to go if they wanted to see significant improvement. The new STR8 was designed by Luca Furbatto and technical director James Key, who came from Sauber in September to take over from Giorgio Ascanelli.
Most importantly, the rear of the new car is much slimmer than before, with the radiators positioned lower in order to be able to drop the deck of the sidepods more aggressively. The narrower rear resulted in lowering the exhausts to improve airflow, which means the team is planning an intensive aerodynamics development programme for the first part of the season.
Power still comes from Ferrari, and while the car is designed in the UK, manufacturing takes place in Faenza, Italy, so Toro Rosso is also improving communication to speed up components getting from the drawing board to the tracks.
If that all works out, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will have their opportunity to shine in 2013.
Photo credit: Scuderia Toro Rosso