A LACK OF OOMPH
When Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat line up on the grid in Melbourne at the end of March, their STR12s will be powered by Renault’s 2017-spec engine plant. That change is a not minor one, given that they had the least powerful unit last year, per Mercedes’ GPS data.
The gap became all the more blatant as the season unfolded and Toro Rosso slipped down the pecking order amid a lack of engine development. That should not belittle the team’s strong results in the first half of the year though, when Sainz and Max Verstappen (before his promotion to Red Bull) used Key’s efficient chassis design to amass valuable points.
Sauber, who will race Ferrari’s 2016-spec power unit in the upcoming season, knows its best chances to get on the scoring board are likely to come in the early races.
