Toro Rosso debut the STR10 in Spain

Toro Rosso took the wraps off their 2015 car in the Jerez pit lane on Saturday afternoon, just a few hours before the first of this year’s three pre-season tests gets underway at the Spanish circuit.

The Renault-powered STR10 will be raced by the team’s all-rookie driver line-up of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr, with the latter due behind the wheel first on Sunday.

The STR10 has been produced under the technical directorship of James Key, and chief designers Paolo Marabini and Matteo Piraccini. Built by the Italian team at their Faenza base, it owes its shape to the efforts of Toro Rosso’s wind tunnel staff in Bicester in the UK.

"The car is a real mix of very different approaches in some areas, while also refining and developing what we felt were some of the more solid philosophies of the 2014 car," Key told Toro Rosso’s website. "It will look quite different by the time we get to Race 1 and we've got several very new ideas which have gone into it, which the team is exploring for the first time, which makes it an interesting project.

“We've pushed the limits of timing much more with STR10 than with past cars and we're dealing with it really well. We have a pretty aggressive plan for development. We'll turn up to Race 1 with a fundamentally different car to the one we run in testing."

Team principal Franz Tost, who led the squad to seventh place in last year’s constructors’ championship, is aiming higher for this year, commenting: "The launch of the new STR10 car today here in Jerez de la Frontera marks the start of a new and hopefully thrilling F1 season.

"The 2015 season is a new challenge for all of us. We've put a lot of work into the STR10 and we are convinced that we will have a successful year. Our objective is to finish fifth in the constructors championship and we are ready to do our best to achieve it.

“Our engine partner Renault has also worked very hard to come up with new modifications and I'm sure that our joint effort will give us a package which will certainly be very competitive. All in all, we have a much stronger team as well as a very competitive STR10 and fast drivers; it's a great combination.”

Sainz, who will be testing on Sunday and Tuesday, said he was delighted to be debuting the STR10 in his home country, commenting: "I am very happy to be making my first official appearance as a Formula One driver here in Spain and I am looking forward to trying the car for the first time tomorrow.

“I have worked very hard over the winter on my personal fitness, as well as spending time in Faenza to familiarise myself with the team, having also done some days in the simulator. Now we have just 12 days to prepare for Melbourne, so going through all the race weekend procedures will be a priority for me, as well as putting in as many miles as possible behind the wheel."

Dutch team mate Verstappen, 17, said he is equally keen to get on with preparations for his Grand Prix debut in March, when he will become the youngest F1 racer in history: "I can't wait for the season to start and tomorrow will seem like a very long day, watching Carlos in the car!

“With two days in the 2014 car at the Abu Dhabi test and the Friday mornings I did last season, combined with time spent in the simulator, I feel well prepared and I'm really up for this challenge, which is very exciting. Six days on track here in Spain and then it will be time to head for Australia and my first Grand Prix, something I have been looking forward to ever since I started karting."