2012 Scuderia Toro Rosso STR7

Old Skool but effective are words one could use to describe the launch of our STR7.

On paper, the plan for today's unveiling of our new car at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain, looked like so many others that have gone before. There was a pretty girl from Spanish TV hosting the event, there were brief speeches from Franz Tost and Santiago Bergareche, the Co-Chairman of our sponsor CEPSA that hosted the event, followed by the drivers pulling a dust sheet off the new car. So nothing new there then.

However, the relaxed format seemed to go down well with the media and, with the sun still shining in the Spanish skies, we conducted most of our interview sessions in the pit lane. We had given the press what they needed, with the promise of more interviews tomorrow and then came the icing on the cake, as they were all invited back to our place in the paddock for an aperitivo and some finger food, while continuing to interview Daniel and Jev, Franz and Giorgio Ascanelli our Technical Director.

It was a pleasant interlude, a step back in time and a brief moment of relaxation before the 2012 season really starts tomorrow, when STR7 will rumble down pit lane to start its on-track career.

Source - Scuderia Toro Rosso

JEREZ TEST, DAY 1

Daniel Ricciardo: 'It was really nice to be back in the cockpit for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix in November and being the first person to drive the STR7 was a little bonus. It was great to experience taking a completely new car out of the garage. We had a very productive morning, doing over 40 laps and we made good progress with our programme. Then in the afternoon, we did a couple of longer runs, but had to cut it short, although we only lost an hour. I was using the Medium tyre on that last run, having used Hard tyres for the rest of the day. So, overall, a good start and I'm looking forward to another productive day tomorrow, because this car is very enjoyable to drive. It was a good feeling going fast again. It's too early to give a true assessment of the car, but out of the box this morning, it seemed balanced and quite stable. It gave me a good feeling when I put the power down.'

Franz Tost: 'We completed 57 laps today, so we are quite pleased with the first outing of the new car which seems to have a good base from which we can move forward. Daniel felt confident in the car and we ran trouble free until we lost some oil pressure, at which point the engine protector did its job and stopped the car. We are now investigating this loss of oil pressure, but we are confident we can have another good day tomorrow. As the failure happened at four o'clock, we only lost one hour's track time which we expect to make up for tomorrow. The car looks nice but the important thing is that it should be fast. My first impression, having enjoyed the rare experience of going out onto the track to watch it in action through some corners this morning, is that the basis of the car is quite good and healthy.'

Source - Scuderia Toro Rosso