Toro Rosso to receive Red Bull parts from 2018

Red Bull are planning to share more car parts with their junior team Toro Rosso in 2018. Toro Rosso have been fielding Red Bull junior drivers for years now, but have developed their car independently.

Red Bull will provide their sister team with parts in a bid to cut costs and to also to improve the teams performances.

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“This was the plan, that we will be more synergies between the teams,” said Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost.

“This will continue because we have already the gearbox internals and the hydraulics system and other parts from Red Bull. But I think for next year we will increase this number.

“There are two major topics as to why. First of all to improve the performance, second is to save costs, because it’s not necessary that we fabricate the same parts and design them if we can buy them from Red Bull.”

Many people see Toro Rosso hidden from view amid Red Bull's success in the sport, and have been striving to work more solitarily. Technical director James Key does not see this move affecting the stance of the team.

"STR is very much its own team, and probably bigger than people think,” he said. “Clearly if you’re an owner of two F1 teams, as Red Bull are, and support both of those teams incredibly well you also want to find a synergy between those teams where you can.

“So it doesn’t make sense for certain items, particularly the less performant items, to do that twice. You may as well try and do it once where it’s an unlisted part. It makes sense to add our resources together and come up with a solution for that.

“Equally it’s important that neither team is compromised by that too because the listed parts tend to be the biggest performance differentiators and you have a philosophy and a lot of momentum behind certain direction.

“If you’ve got something which isn’t compatible, it’s tricky. So I think we’re it’s got some form of aero relationship, you have to be careful because you can put listed parts on which can have an implication on aero.

“Whereas if it’s something in the gearbox for example, which is far easier to deal with, then it’s easier to do. So I think it’s a mix and match to get the best solution possible."

Fergal Walsh