Toro Rosso confirms STR14 F1 car launch date

Toro Rosso has stolen a march on its Formula 1 rivals by announcing its STR14 car launch date for February 11^th which means the team will be the first to reveal its 2019 challenger.

After a productive maiden year with power unit supplier Honda last season, Toro Rosso will unveil its STR14 exactly one week before the start of F1 pre-season testing.

The launch will be shown online revealing both the new car and new driver line-up Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon.

Toro Rosso will kick-off F1’s launch week on February 11^th one day before Renault who initially had been set to be the first team to reveal its 2019 squad.

During its maiden year partnering Honda, the Italian squad finished ninth in the F1 world constructors’ championship with the highlight of Pierre Gasly claiming fourth place at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Honda expands its F1 efforts in 2019 by providing power units to both Toro Rosso and Red Bull.

Toro Rosso welcomes back Kvyat who made his F1 debut with the team in 2014 before stepping up to the Red Bull Racing squad a year later.

The Russian driver return to the Italian squad five races into the 2016 season, switching F1 race seats with Max Verstappen, but was dropped by the team after the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix before a one-race reprise at the United States round later that year.

Kvyat spent 2018 as a Ferrari reserve and simulator driver but returns to an F1 race seat with Toro Rosso this season.

Albon will make his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2019 as he steps up from the FIA Formula 2 championship having finished third in the drivers’ standings last year behind fellow F1 graduates George Russell and Lando Norris.

The first F1 pre-season test at Circuit de Catalunya takes place between February 18-21, with the second test at the same venue on February 26-March 1.