Toro Rosso hailed a “perfect” shakedown of their new Honda-powered STR13 after completing 100km at a soggy Misano on Wednesday.
Despite setting a launch date of Monday, the Italian team was the third to hit the track with their 2018 car and, predictability, couldn’t avoid an image being leaked online before posting their own later.
After three difficult seasons back in Formula 1 with McLaren, much of the emphasis has been on engine supplier Honda and whether they can cure the reliability problems and the lack of performance compared to their rivals.
Based on their first day on the track, however, early signals are good.
“Everything ran smoothly and according to plan,” a spokesman commented. “We finished the programme without any issues and ahead of schedule. Today was a perfect day.”
A more complete picture of Honda’s situation is likely to emerge next week when pre-season testing begins for real in Barcelona.