Out Of The Shadows: Toro Rosso to Sink or Swim?
As the older sibling moves on to bigger things, Franz Tost’s Toro Rosso team have got to make it on their own in the big wide world of Formula 1.
The former Red Bull “feeder” team are on their own two feet now, but whether they can handle the pressure of running alone is to be decided. Was the presence of a bigger team plucking away at their assets holding them back, or will the lack of hand-me-down parts from a title chasing contender condemn the team to forever be languishing at the back of the grid, with little to cheer but a rare place in Q2.
With a young exuberant line-up, a true Italian heart running throughout the garage, this is a team that will race with passion and won’t hold back in their quest for success.
What that success is, will be determined over the next nineteen races, and where better to showcase what this team is all about than in Bahrain. The calendar takes us from Bahrain to Adelaide, epitmosing what Toro Rosso is all about. A mixture of young talent and old-fashioned Italian heart.
Following an impressive winter of testing, Team Principle Franz Tost explained just how ready they are:
“Because the car was ready on time, we have made the most of the 15 days of testing, during which STR5 has enjoyed excellent reliability.
We therefore managed to complete a very respectable mileage with both our drivers, despite the bad weather at the two Jerez tests.”
Last year’s display in Bahrain was not exactly encouraging for the Toro Rosso camp, a poor qualifying session put them on the back foot from the outset, with Sebastian Bourdais’ finish in the midfield, after starting at the back of the grid, being the only highlight.
Jaime Alguersuari will have a lot to prove following his baptism of fire in 2009. However, with the much improved STR5 underneath him, points finishes won’t be out of the question for the number 2 Toro Rosso.
Sebastian Buemi, who is only two years Alguersuari’s senior, is the more conventional of the two, and will be the man who Tost will be looking at to set the standard amongst the team. The Swiss driver will be encouraged by the final two races of last season, and perhaps didn’t want 2009 to end as he picked up three Championship points in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
As for this Sunday, obviously much will depend on how the new teams fare, and whether we get a repeat of what Brawn brought to the table last year. Regardless of the other teams, it’s looking like an improvement for Toro Rosso this year, set to start this Sunday. A mid-table finish would suffice as they look to consolidate their place in F1 and score points on a much more regular basis.
Join me and Victoria on Formula1FanCast.com’s Fantasy League Formula 1 2010. Our league is called Formula1Fancast.com and the league pin is 722. Try and beat us if you can, but be warned we’re good!
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Looking forward to seeing what Alguersuari can do this year. People were a little too harsh on him last year, he was clearly at a disadvantage from the ban of in-season testing. He will know the set-up now and be used to the car. This is his make-or-break year.