Toro Rosso shifts to 24/7 mode to complete 2017 car

As it did last year around the same period, Toro Rosso will be putting into effect staff rotations at its  Faenza base which will ensure a 24/7 work schedule for a period of  four weeks.

Formula 1's heavy regulation overhaul and testing which begins on February 27 at Barcelona have put a burden on teams to be ready for action when the season kicks off at the Circuit de Catalunya.

"From the production side, we will have to work 24/7 for a period," said team principal Franz Tost.

"From the middle of January to the middle of February, we will run three shifts per day. It's a very short period because it's quite cost intensive."

• Sainz wouldn't move over for Alonso, ever!

The two-month period which culminates with cars finally hitting the track late February is typically critical as team's designers and production managers fine-tune their deadlines.

But Tost believes his junior bull squad has everything under control, although still time remains incredibly tight.

"It becomes tricky when the aerodynamic department does not want to release the drawings and they just want to gain another day," he said.

"It becomes always very tight but it's a performance gain. It's every year the same story, nothing changes.

"As long as you can stay in the windtunnel and do research and development, there's more performance you can come up with."

Tost admits that smaller F1 outfits are not awarded the luxury of time or much leeway in terms of productions schedules.

"This is the difference with a small team, once we set up the deadline we must say 'stop now’, because otherwise we don't drive.

"We need to have the decision about the drawing release on a certain date and then they know it's absolutely latest, it's not possible anymore because we're on the limit."

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter