Toro Rosso STR1

Toro Rosso STR1

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Scuderia Toro Rosso
Team/s	Scuderia Toro Rosso
Designers	Mark Smith Gabriele Tredozi
Drivers	20. Vitantonio Liuzzi 21. Scott Speed
Chassis	carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)	cast titanium uprights, pushrods, carbon-fibre upper and lower wishbones
Suspension (rear)	cast titanium uprights, pushrods, carbon-fibre upper and lower wishbones
Engine	Cosworth TJ2005-2 90-degree V10 (restricted)
Gearbox	Scuderia Toro Rosso seven-speed longitudinal
Fuel	Shell
Tyres	Bridgestone
Debut	2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
Races competed	18
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0

The Toro Rosso STR1 was the car with which the Scuderia Toro Rosso team competed in the 2006 Formula One season. It was driven by Vitantonio Liuzzi, who had started four Grands Prix for the sister Red Bull Racing team in 2005, and Scott Speed, a débutant who was the first American driver to compete in F1 since Michael Andretti in 1993.

2006 marked a new beginning, as Red Bull had bought the Minardi team which had competed in F1 for twenty years and renamed it using the Italian translation of their brandname. The new team inherited Minardi's technical team and its factory at Faenza only, as ex-owner Paul Stoddart kept Minardi's other property in Ledbury. A deal which allowed the team to run restricted V10 engines, instead of V8s, was also maintained despite the new ownership.

This allowed Toro Rosso to use an almost identical version of the previous year's Red Bull RB1 coupled with the same Cosworth engines, only power-restricted under the FIA's equivalency formula. Both the chassis-sharing and V10 engine usage remained controversial topics throughout the season, as the engine agreement was designed to benefit the poor Minardi team, not the much richer Red Bull company. However, this wore off as the season progressed, as fears over the car's potential performance advantage proved to be unfounded.

This was largely due to the year-old chassis, the torque advantage of the V10 being cancelled out by traction control, and the lack of engine development and tyre testing given to the team. However, the team were generally more competitive than Midland/Spyker and Super Aguri, and Liuzzi was able to score the team's one and only point at Indianapolis.

Liuzzi was generally the quicker of the drivers, although Speed improved as he gained in experience. Despite both getting involved in several accidents and mistakes due to their inexperience, the STR duo both drew praise from part-team owner Gerhard Berger for their performances.

The team eventually finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship, with one point.

• 

  Vitantonio Liuzzi at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.

• 

  Scott Speed at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Points	WCC
2006	Toro Rosso	Cosworth V10	M		BHR	MAL	AUS	SMR	EUR	ESP	MON	GBR	CAN	USA	FRA	GER	HUN	TUR	ITA	CHN	JPN	BRA	1	9th
				Vitantonio Liuzzi	11	11	Ret	14	Ret	15	10	13	13	8	13	10	Ret	Ret	14	10	14	13
				Scott Speed	13	Ret	9	15	11	Ret	13	Ret	10	Ret	10	12	11	13	13	14	18	11