Toro Rosso STR14, 2019

Toro Rosso using 2018-spec Red Bull parts in new car

2019 F1 season

Posted on

| Written by

Toro Rosso has confirmed its new STR14 chassis includes many parts which come from sister team Red Bull’s 2018 Formula 1 car.

Red Bull’s switch to Honda power units for the 2019 F1 season means it can share more common components with its junior team. These include a mixture of 2019 and 2018-specification parts.

“Components relative to the power unit will be the same specification as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, to be used within the regulations,” explained team principal Franz Tost. “Most of the remaining parts we receive from Red Bull Technology will be last year’s specifications.

“Scuderia Toro Rosso, being a smaller team, could not follow the fast development and production process a bigger team can afford, especially considering that the release of the technical drawing could, for whatever reason, be delayed or delivered last minute.”

Toro Rosso previously sourced entire chassis from Red Bull when this was permitted by the rules. It had to expand its operation when the team began building its own cars.

“[Red Bull owner Dietrich] Mateschitz decided to buy our team with the idea to educate young drivers from the Red Bull driver pool and to use one technology centre to supply expertise and parts for two teams,” said Tost. “And actually, this is the philosophy we followed until 2010 when the other competitors in the championship voted for a rule change, which put an end to the project.

[smr2018test]

Toro Rosso STR14, 2019
First pictures: Toro Rosso STR14 is ready for 2019
“Following this decision, Scuderia Toro Rosso was forced to create the necessary infrastructures to become a manufacturer team, capable of designing all parts in house. We had to hire many more people and, from around 100 employees at the time, we can now count approximately 400 people, split between the factories in Faenza and Bicester.

“The synergies project will allow us to aim for a step in performance without increasing the number of people; we will buy some parts and have more minds and hands to design and produce all the others.”

As it is now obtaining more parts from Red Bull, Tost says the team can now find more performance elsewhere on the car.

“Compared to other teams, Toro Rosso count on a smaller number of people, but the synergies with Red Bull Technology for the non-listed parts, now that Aston Martin Red Bull Racing will also be equipped with the Honda engine, will leave more time for our technical working groups to focus more on the details,” he said. “Attention to detail makes the difference and this translates to more performance.”

Go ad-free for just £1 per month

>> Find out more and sign up

Video: Toro Rosso STR14 launched

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2019 F1 season

Browse all 2019 F1 season articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

10 comments on “Toro Rosso using 2018-spec Red Bull parts in new car”

  1. Announcements like these make you realise that McLaren aren’t actually doing all that bad of a job. Aside from Renault they’re the only team in the midfield that only have 1 budget working on their car with all the others just getting parts from the “parent” teams that they are partnered too.

    1. Williams would like to have a word with you…

    2. Fudge Kobayashi (@)
      11th February 2019, 15:01

      McLaren’s budget also dwarfs the rest of those teams and Torro Rosso haven’t started parts sharing until this year, 2019. Furthermore they would have been utterly spanked by the ‘1 budget’ Force Indias last year had they not had all their points stripped on a technicality.

      And finally, without Fernando Alonso in that car they would not have got close to Haas last year, despite Grosjean.

      So yeh they have actually been doing a really bad job im afraid.

    3. How is McLaren not doing bad? Are we comparing them to the likes of Toro Rosso, Sauber and Haas? Because even then, they are doing very bad. If that is the level they are aiming for, then they should just start buying parts from other teams.

      I thought McLaren was supposed to be a top team. Who do Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull receive parts from? They all make their own parts, and compete at the front of the pack.

  2. Having two teams sharing development is a good news for Honda. I hope its not too late.

  3. Red Bul parts could mean that Torro rosso begin of the season be in front of the midfield. And after Spain they will drop in the standings.

    1. @macleod That indeed could be the case. We shall wait and see.

    2. isn’t this usually the case with Toro Rosso? they tend to start out pretty good, then they usually drop in the second half of the season.

      if anything, this gives them a chance of keeping up in the development race, since apparently RB will also share 2019 parts… and I’m sure Honda will not mind if their B team ends the year ahead of McLaren…

  4. Keith, your voice… sounds… normal? I expected a nerdy sounding one like Scarbs’ one.

  5. I think they looked at what HaasF1 is achieving and said, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”
    Teams on a limited budget simply cannot afford to design and build every part on an F1 car when the regulations allow you to buy excellent parts off the shelf. I’m waiting for a team to mix and match listed parts from more than one manufacturer, if there’s some advantage to be had…

Comments are closed.