The new TR5 was unveiled at the first winter testing session of the season this morning at the Valencia circuit in Spain where one very interested observer came over from the next door garage – a new driver by the name of Michael Schumacher, accompanied by Mercedes boss, Norbert Haug.

2010 is a landmark year for Scuderia Toro Rosso as it detaches itself from Red Bull Technology and, in accordance with new F1 rules, has to do all its own car design and build work in-house. In recent years, more and more production had been undertaken at the team’s Faenza facility, but now we really have to go it alone.

Scuderia Toro Rosso made its F1 debut in 2006, when Red Bull’s motives in acquiring a second team were prompted by the need to find cockpits for the most talented of the rookie drivers it had nurtured in its Young Driver Programme.

Sebastian Vettel demonstrated the effectiveness of the young driver idea, by securing the team’s first win in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix and Scuderia Toro Rosso continues to fill the role of training camp, fielding the two youngest drivers on the grid, Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari.

Continuity is important in F1 and they still have Franz Tost at the helm and Giorgio Ascanelli heading the technical operation. With a longer than usual nineteen race season ahead, the team has reached its first target in having the new car ready for the first of the fifteen days of winter testing, which will be the key to ensuring that the car, the team and drivers are as well prepared as possible for the first round in Bahrain.