TORO ROSSO STR3 Ferrari

   The controversies surrounding the “close” relationship between the cars from Faenza (Toro Rosso) and those from Milton Keynes (Red Bull) continued in 2008, despite the FIA having closed the case as legal. The 2008 championship for Scuderia Toro Rosso began with the “B” evolution of the STR2 used in 2007, before switching to the STR3 from the Monaco Grand Prix onward. The new car from the small Italian team, owned by Red Bull patron Dietrich Mateschitz, is a “special” car for Toro Rosso fans, as it is the first single-seater from the Faenza-based team to achieve a victory in Formula 1.

TORO ROSSO STR3, Sebastién Bourdais
Spa-Francorchmps, Belgian GP 2008

   The STR3 is based on the Red Bull RB4 project, designed by the legendary Adrian Newey, thanks to the regulations of the time which still allowed partial sharing of projects between the two teams. In fact, in addition to Newey (Chief Technical Officer – Red Bull), Geoff Willis (Technical Director – Red Bull), Rob Marshall (Chief Designer – Red Bull), and Peter Prodromou (Head of Aerodynamics – Red Bull) also contributed to the development of the car, which differs from its RB4 sister mainly in its engine (Renault for Red Bull and Ferrari for Toro Rosso). The engineers working in Faenza, a town in the Romagna region in the province of Ravenna, had to orchestrate a small sporting miracle, adapting a project conceived elsewhere to the specific needs of the Italian team. The Team Principal was Franz Tost: although not a technical specialist in the strict sense, his management of personnel and his “Austrian” discipline proved essential in enabling the small Faenza staff to work with the efficiency of a top team. Giorgio Ascanelli (Technical Director), former race engineer for Ayrton Senna at McLaren and a cornerstone of Ferrari during the Schumacher era, brought rigor and a winning mentality. He was responsible for managing and integrating the Ferrari engine into the Red Bull chassis. Equally important were the engineers working on the pit wall, first and foremost Riccardo Adami. It was in 2008 that the partnership with the very young and promising German driver Sebastian Vettel began. Adami was fundamental to Vettel’s methodical development, and their relationship became so strong that the German driver would later want him alongside him years later when he moved to Ferrari. Guillaume Rocquelin also played a key role in the car’s setup before becoming Vettel’s famous race engineer during his world-championship years at Red Bull. Also worth mentioning is Luca Furbatto (chief mechanic), crucial in coordinating the Faenza staff (former Minardi personnel) who had to assemble and run the mechanics arriving from Milton Keynes together with the power unit coming from Maranello, all while maintaining the spirit of a team that, despite Red Bull funding, remained deeply tied to its local roots.

TORO ROSSO STR3, Sebastian Vettel
Fuji Speedway, Japanese GP 2008

   The new STR3 had an extremely fast foundation (Newey’s RB4 project) and often proved more balanced than its “parent” version thanks to the different weight distribution of the Ferrari V8 engine. In addition to its considerable power (around 780 hp at 19,000 rpm), the Italian V8 was known for a very linear torque curve that allowed drivers to modulate the throttle with extreme precision in the season when traction control was abolished. Ferrari also supplied the entire transmission, with the gearbox casing made from titanium micro-casting with an extremely rigid and compact carbon skin, enabling aerodynamic designers to create a wider and cleaner diffuser. The fascinating aerodynamics of the STR3 proved more effective than its Red Bull RB4 counterpart precisely thanks to an unexpected harmony between chassis and engine. The Italian car also immediately featured the shark fin, which extended the engine cover almost to the rear wing, making the car far more predictable and stable in fast corners. On the front wing there was the unavoidable bridge wing, a second aerodynamic profile positioned above the main front wing and connecting the two flaps, useful for generating additional downforce and cleaning the airflow directed toward the flat floor and sidepods, working in synergy with the complex bargeboards.

TORO ROSSO STR3, Sebastién Bourdais
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2008

   Like all 2008 cars, the STR3’s sidepods featured an endless series of small vortex generators, together with “shark-gill” cooling slots and chimneys used to expel hot air from the Ferrari engine without disturbing the airflow moving toward the diffuser. These were masterpieces of micro-aerodynamics that perfectly balanced cooling and aerodynamic drag. The Ferrari engine-radiator package allowed slightly more tapered sidepods toward the rear (the so-called “Coca-Cola design”), improving airflow toward the rear end. Moreover, Ferrari and Toro Rosso engineers managed to direct the exhaust flow into a section of the diffuser that produced a more effective sealing effect. However, this aerodynamic complexity made the car extremely sensitive to ride height. To ensure that the wings and flat floor always operated at the optimal height, the STR3’s suspension system was a masterpiece of kinematics, expertly managed by the suspension department and by the third damper (J-Dumper), positioned horizontally above the nose and on the gearbox casing. This mechanical element controlled the car’s “pitch” (the nose diving under braking), keeping the aerodynamic platform stable and guaranteeing consistent downforce.

TORO ROSSO STR3, Sebastién Bourdais
Istanbul Park, Turkish GP 2008

   The Toro Rosso STR3 is remembered as the “giant killer” of 2008. Although originally conceived as a midfield car and a training ground for young Red Bull drivers, its performance development throughout the season was impressive, culminating in a championship finale where, under certain conditions, it was consistently the third-fastest team on the grid, on par with Renault and behind only Ferrari and McLaren. The official presentation of the new STR3 took place on April 16 in Spain at the Catalunya-Barcelona circuit, with French driver Sébastien Bourdais at the wheel. In addition to Vettel and Bourdais, the young New Zealand driver Brendon Hartley also drove the new Toro Rosso car during test sessions. In its debut race (the Monaco Grand Prix), the new Faenza-built car immediately showed its potential, taking fifth place with Vettel, followed by eighth place in the subsequent Canadian Grand Prix, again achieved by the German driver. Two underwhelming races followed, but after the summer break the team found the perfect setup to make the Bridgestone tires work with Newey’s chassis. From that moment on, Vettel regularly entered the Top 10 in qualifying, also achieving six points-scoring finishes in the final seven races. The most spectacular result, however, remains the pole position and victory achieved by Vettel at the Italian Grand Prix, held on the ultra-fast Monza circuit. The performance of the STR3 improved to such an extent that it surpassed that of its bigger sister, the Red Bull RB4. By the end of the season, Scuderia Toro Rosso had scored 39 points (10 more than the “parent” Red Bull team), finishing sixth in the constructors’ championship. With the splendid victory at Monza, the very young Vettel (21 years old) showcased all his driving talent and secured eighth place in the drivers’ standings with 35 points.