Team Preview: Toro Rosso

2015 Drivers:

33: Max Verstappen (2014 finish N/A)

55: Carlos Sainz (2014 finish N/A)

2014 Constructors' Championship 7th (30 points)

2015 chassis: STR10

Toro Rosso is the only team on the 2015 grid that has chosen to run two rookies for this season. A lot of attention will be given to these rookies however as one of them is 20 year old Carlos Sainz who is the son of a former World Rally champion and the other is 17 year old Max Verstappen who will become the youngest driver to start a Formula 1 race. The pair of them will make the youngest team mates in Formula 1 history.

Both drivers appear to be extremely talented as Sainz won the Formula Renault 3.5 series last year and Verstappen finished third in the FIA European Formula 3 championship in his first year of racing cars. These are both series which have produced many of the stars on the current Formula 1 grid. The main question with these two drivers is not talent but it is whether or not they are ready for Formula 1. Verstappen racing as a 17 year old has caused a lot of controversy throughout the Formula 1 world as many people claim he is too young and immature to have a race seat. The FIA have reacted by implementing its new super license qualification system which will not be put into place after this season.

Toro Rosso should be a good place for these two drivers to develop their skills over the next year or two before taking a leap to a top team if they show they are ready for it. Toro Rosso tends to be near the back of the grid so their is not as much pressure on these two drivers so it can relax the spotlight a bit. However, I think Verstappen will draw a huge amount of media attention because of his age and his ability to handle this pressure will be one of the big story lines to follow this year.

Toro Rosso did not make a lot of noise throughout testing by not setting times at the top but they did get more miles in than everybody except Mercedes and Sauber. I think that Toro Rosso was looking to get its two drivers lots of experience before the first race and made sure to get in as much running as possible.

Prediction: I think Toro Rosso will struggle at the beginning of the year because Sainz and Verstappen have both never competed in a Formula 1 race and Toro Rosso usually does not have a quick car. Making it out of Q1 at the first couple of races will probably be a struggle but I expect both drivers to improve as the season goes on. At the end of the year I expect Toro Rosso to finish 8th in the Constructors' Championship.

How do you think Toro Rosso will fare throughout the 2015 season? Do you think Sainz and Verstappen will struggle to adapt to Formula 1 or do you think we will see their talent come through instantly? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.