Scuderia Toro Rosso facts for kids

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{{{Short_name}}}
Formula One World Championship career

Full name	{{{Long_name}}}
Base	Faenza, Italy Bicester, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (Aerodynamics)
Noted drivers	{{{Drivers}}}
Engines	Cosworth, Ferrari, Renault, Toro Rosso, Honda
Debut	{{{Debut}}}
Races competed	268
Constructors' Championships	0 (best finish: 6th, 2008 & 2019)
Drivers' Championships	0 (best finish: 8th, Vettel, 2008)
Race victories	1
Podiums	3
Points	500
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	1
Final race	{{{Last race}}}

Scuderia Toro Rosso (which means "Red Bull Racing Team" in Italian) was an exciting Formula One team. It was one of two F1 teams owned by the Austrian company Red Bull. Toro Rosso was like a junior team for Red Bull Racing. Its main goal was to help young, talented drivers get ready for the main Red Bull team.

Scuderia Toro Rosso's pitbox in the United States, 2017

The team started racing in the 2006 season. It became fully independent from its sister team in 2010. In 2020, the team changed its name to Scuderia AlphaTauri. This was done to promote Red Bull's fashion brand.

Toro Rosso used different engines over the years. They used Ferrari V8 engines from 2007 to 2013. Then they switched to Renault engines for 2014. In 2016, they went back to Ferrari power. For 2017, they used Renault engines again. Finally, in 2018, they started using Honda engines. The team principal, or boss, was Franz Tost.

Vitantonio Liuzzi scored the team's first point in its very first season. This happened at the 2006 United States Grand Prix. The team's first podium, pole position, and only win came from Sebastian Vettel. He achieved this at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen became the youngest driver ever to race in Formula One. He was 17 years and 166 days old when he drove for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix.

How the Team Started
Racing Highlights
- Early Years (2006–2013)
  - Vettel's Big Win (2008)
  - New Drivers and Challenges (2009–2013)
- Engine Changes and Young Talent (2014–2019)
Sponsorships
Race Results
See also

How the Team Started

Toro Rosso headquarters in Faenza, Italy (2016)

The team was created when Paul Stoddart sold his Minardi team. Minardi had been racing in Formula One from 1985 to 2005. It was a popular team but often struggled to compete. Minardi never finished on the podium.

Red Bull's owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, bought Minardi at the end of 2005. He wanted to keep the team's base in Faenza, Italy. This was part of the deal. Red Bull changed the team's name right away. They chose "Scuderia Toro Rosso" because "Scuderia" is an Italian word for a racing stable. It's often used for Italian racing teams like Ferrari.

Many Minardi fans were sad about the name change. Over 15,000 people signed an online petition. But the name "Scuderia Toro Rosso" stayed.

Racing Highlights

Early Years (2006–2013)

Vitantonio Liuzzi at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix

In 2006, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed were the drivers. Their car, the STR1, was a changed version of the 2005 Red Bull Racing car. This caused some debate among other teams. Toro Rosso used older Cosworth V10 engines. Other teams had newer V8 engines.

For 2007, Toro Rosso started using 2006-spec Ferrari V8 engines. Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed were the drivers. Later in the season, Sebastian Vettel replaced Speed. At the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, Vettel finished fourth and Liuzzi finished sixth. This was a great result for the team.

Vettel's Big Win (2008)

Sebastian Vettel leads Sébastien Bourdais at the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix.

In 2008, Sebastian Vettel and Sébastien Bourdais drove for Toro Rosso. The team continued to use 2007-spec Ferrari engines. At the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, in wet conditions, Vettel made history. He took pole position and won the race! This was the first win for both Vettel and Toro Rosso. It was also the first time a team based in Italy, other than Ferrari, won a Grand Prix since 1957.

Vettel's amazing performance helped Toro Rosso finish above their senior team, Red Bull, in the championship that year. This was the only time that happened.

New Drivers and Challenges (2009–2013)

Sébastien Buemi testing the Toro Rosso STR5 at the Bahrain International Circuit in 2010

After Vettel moved to Red Bull, Sébastien Buemi and Sébastien Bourdais became the drivers for 2009. Later, Jaime Alguersuari replaced Bourdais. The team found it tough to repeat their 2008 success.

For 2010 and 2011, Buemi and Alguersuari continued to drive. They scored points in several races. In 2011, Daniel Ricciardo joined as a test driver.

Jaime Alguersuari finished seventh, his best result in F1, with the team at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix.

In 2012, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne became the main drivers. The team had a difficult season. They finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship. Both drivers stayed for 2013. Ricciardo showed strong performances, especially in qualifying. He earned a spot at Red Bull Racing for the next season.

Engine Changes and Young Talent (2014–2019)

Renault Power (2014–2015)

Daniil Kvyat at the 2014 British Grand Prix

Toro Rosso started using Renault engines in 2014. They had the same engines as Red Bull Racing. Jean-Éric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat were the drivers. Kvyat became the youngest points scorer in F1 history at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.

In 2015, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. joined the team. Verstappen was only 17 years old. Both drivers had a great season. They often finished in the points. Verstappen achieved two fourth-place finishes. This made 2015 Toro Rosso's most successful season based on points up to that time.

The two Toro Rossos of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix

Return to Ferrari (2016)

For 2016, Toro Rosso switched back to Ferrari engines. They used 2015-spec power units. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. started the season as drivers. After a few races, Daniil Kvyat returned to Toro Rosso from Red Bull. Verstappen moved to Red Bull Racing.

Back to Renault (2017)

Carlos Sainz Jr. at the 2017 pre-season test

Toro Rosso used Renault engines again in 2017. Carlos Sainz Jr. and Daniil Kvyat were the drivers. Later in the season, Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley also drove for the team. Sainz moved to Renault's factory team before the end of the season.

Honda Partnership (2018–2019)

Toro Rosso STR13 of Pierre Gasly

In 2018, Toro Rosso started a new partnership with Honda. They became Honda's main team. Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley were the drivers. Gasly had a strong fourth-place finish at the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix. The team faced some reliability issues but showed good speed.

For 2019, Gasly moved to Red Bull. Daniil Kvyat returned to Toro Rosso, and Alexander Albon joined him. Kvyat scored a fantastic third-place podium finish at the wet 2019 German Grand Prix. Albon also finished sixth in that race. This was Toro Rosso's first podium since 2008.

Later in the season, Albon moved to Red Bull, and Gasly returned to Toro Rosso. At the exciting 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Gasly finished second. He held off Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling race to the finish line. Toro Rosso ended the 2019 season in sixth place. This was their best-ever points total in the team's history.

Sponsorships

Red Bull uses sports sponsorships as a big part of its marketing. They have bought and rebranded many sports teams. This includes football clubs like FC Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

Toro Rosso also had other sponsors. From 2011 to 2015, they had a deal with the Spanish oil company Cepsa. From 2016 to 2019, the Japanese watch company Casio (through its Edifice brand) was a sponsor. In 2019, they also had sponsors from Thailand, like Moose Craft Cider and PTT Lubricants.

Race Results

Year	Name	Car	Engine	Tyres	No.	Drivers	Points	WCC
2006	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR1	Cosworth TJ2005 3.0 V10	M	20. 21.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Scott Speed	1	9th
2007	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR2	Ferrari 056 2006 2.4 V8	B	18. 19. 19.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Scott Speed Sebastian Vettel	8	7th
2008	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR2B STR3	Ferrari 056 2007 2.4 V8	B	14. 15.	Sébastien Bourdais Sebastian Vettel	39	6th
2009	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR4	Ferrari 056 2008 2.4 V8	B	11. 11. 12.	Sébastien Bourdais Jaime Alguersuari Sébastien Buemi	8	10th
2010	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR5	Ferrari 056 2009 2.4 V8	B	16. 17.	Sébastien Buemi Jaime Alguersuari	13	9th
2011	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR6	Ferrari 056 2010 2.4 V8	P	18. 19.	Sébastien Buemi Jaime Alguersuari	41	8th
2012	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR7	Ferrari 056 2011 2.4 V8	P	16. 17.	Daniel Ricciardo Jean-Éric Vergne	26	9th
2013	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR8	Ferrari 056 2012 2.4 V8	P	18. 19.	Jean-Éric Vergne Daniel Ricciardo	33	8th
2014	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR9	Renault Energy F1-2014 1.6 V6 t	P	25. 26.	Jean-Éric Vergne Daniil Kvyat	30	7th
2015	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR10	Renault Energy F1-2015 1.6 V6 t	P	33. 55.	Max Verstappen Carlos Sainz Jr.	67	7th
2016	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR11	Ferrari 060 1.6 V6 t	P	26. 33. 55.	Daniil Kvyat Max Verstappen Carlos Sainz Jr.	63	7th
2017	Scuderia Toro Rosso	STR12	Toro Rosso 1.6 V6 t	P	10. 26. 28. 55.	Pierre Gasly Daniil Kvyat Brendon Hartley Carlos Sainz Jr.	53	7th
2018	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda	STR13	Honda RA618H 1.6 V6 t	P	10. 28.	Pierre Gasly Brendon Hartley	33	9th
2019	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda	STR14	Honda RA619H 1.6 V6 t	P	10. 23. 26.	Pierre Gasly Alexander Albon Daniil Kvyat	85	6th
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