Toro Rosso has finally officially confirmed that it will switch to 2015 Ferrari engines next season.
The deal has been in place for some time but the team was not able to confirm until it knew that Red Bull Racing would be competing next season, as it was clear that the junior team would not continue on its own. Earlier this week the FIA World Motor Sport Council gave Ferrari permission to supply a “fourth team” with the 2015 engine.
A statement said: “Scuderia Ferrari and Scuderia Toro Rosso have reached an agreement that will see the Faenza-based squad use the current Ferrari Power Unit in the 2016 Formula One Season. On-track testing will begin in February, 2016 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.”
Toro Rosso previously utilized Ferrari power from 2007 to 2013, before it was decided that both teams would be with Renault from the start of the new hybrid era in 2014.
The intriguing scenario is of course that the 2015 Ferrari will potentially be stronger than Red Bull’s upgraded 2016 TAG Heuer/Renault, although the latter could clearly improve during the season.
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost said: “It’s great to be working with Ferrari again. We had a fruitful relationship in the past and I’m sure it won’t take long for us all to be working together very well again. It’s true that time will be very tight for us to be ready for the first test, but we have the right team of people for this and I’m confident that together we will achieve a competitive package for next year – bring on 2016!”
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