Honda and Toro Rosso Unveil Their 2018 F1 Challenger - Strong In Pre-Season Testing

Honda and its new partner, Scuderia Toro Rosso, have unveiled their new Formula 1 car, the STR13, fitted with Honda’s newest RA618H power unit.

The STR13 will be piloted by Pierre Gasly (2016 GP2 World Champion) and Brendon Hartley (2017 LeMans Winner) for this year’s Formula 1 World Championship. 2018 will be the first full-season of participation for both drivers after having participated in only a handful of races in 2017. 

This is the first time Toro Rosso will have its own engine supplier and manufacturer support, having previously run Cosworth, Ferrari and Renault engines as a customer racing team.

Having part ways with McLaren after three lacklustre seasons, besieged by reliability problems and a lack of performance, Honda has it all to prove in 2018. 

Katsuhide Moriyama, Chief Officer for Brand and Communication Operations, Honda Motor Co explains “I am delighted that our new car is here and ready for the start of winter testing, having been designed and built to a very tight schedule,”

He adds, “That is a tribute to the dedication of the Honda and Scuderia Toro Rosso personnel who have already learned to work very well together, developing the STR13 chassis and RA618H power unit package over the short winter months. Now we have just eight days to evaluate our work on the track (at pre-season testing at the Barcelona Circuit), in order to be ready for the coming season.”

The STR13 is built on a Toro Rosso composite monocoque chassis and is powered by Honda’s RA618H power unit which combines a hybrid system with a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 that revs to 15,000 rpm. The engine is mated to an eight-speed sequential (hydraulic) gearbox. Stopping power is provided by some serious Brembo brakes.

The STR13 posted a strong Day 1 of pre-season testing yesterday, with Brendon Hartley ending the day 8th fastest, having completed 93 test laps. The 2018 Formula 1 World Championship heads to Melbourne for the first round on March 25th.