Toro Rosso leaks STR13 car shot from shakedown test

Toro Rosso has revealed its STR13 car ahead of its 2018 Formula 1 launch after spy shots began to leak out of its shakedown test at Misano.

The Italian squad begins its new power unit partnership with Honda this year and had been waiting until the morning of the opening day of the first pre-season test to officially reveal the STR13 at Circuit de Catalunya.

Spy shots of the first Toro Rosso-Honda car had started to emerge online and the Italian squad has released an official image from the Misano test.

The unofficial images have seen Toro Rosso respond on Twitter: “Why settle for a leaked photo, when you can have an original”.

Why settle for a leaked photo, when you can have an original #STR13 pic.twitter.com/yrD8L1REP9

— Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) February 21, 2018

The image reveals a small aerodynamic fairing on the top of the Halo, which is painted in the same blue as the car livery, while the finer details of the front wing, sidepods and rear wing are blurry. Toro Rosso have undertaken its private shakedown test at Misano – located close to its Faenza base – where it has completed the permitted filming day of track running before heading to Spain for testing.

Earlier in the day the Italian squad had been releasing a series of teaser video obscuring a direct look at the STR13 on a wet Misano track.

Toro Rosso lines up with Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly for the 2018 F1 season commencing its new Honda engine partnership.

F1 testing takes place at Circuit de Catalunya between February 26 and March 9 before the grid heads to Australia for the 2018 season-opening race in Melbourne on March 25.