In a day filled with Renault news, Toro Rosso became the latest team to announce that its 2016 chassis has passed the mandatory FIA crash tests ahead of pre-season testing.

The Italian team will entrust its new James Key-designed challenger to Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, who return to Faenza after their impressive rookie campaigns.

Having used Renault power units since the start of the latest turbo era in 2014, Toro Rosso has come back to the Ferrari fold, though it will race year-old engines.

“Mission accomplished! The STR11 has successfully passed all the crash tests!” the Red Bull junior outfit said on its official Twitter feed.

Toro Rosso finished seventh in the Constructors’ championship last year, while Verstappen was its highest-ranked driver in 12th with 49 points.

The two four-day pre-season tests will take place from February 22-25 and March 1-4 in Barcelona.

Julien Billiotte

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