New Toro Rosso passes 2017 safety crash tests

Toro Rosso has announced that its new 2017 car has passed all of the FIA mandatory crash tests.

All new chassis have to meet the crash test standards for safety reasons to ensure that the new car is fit for purpose and will protect the driver in the event of any accidents that occur during a Grand Prix.

The team made the announcement on its official Twitter feed, with a picture of drivers Dannil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz high-fiving each other.

"So guys, good news," read the accompnying tweet. "You’ve got a car to go testing with!" followed by the hashtags #AllCrashTestsPassed and #WellDoneTeam.

Force India's new VJM10 flies through crash tests

The new Toro Rosso will see some major changes compared with last season's STR11. As well as incorporating the new downforce and tyre regulation changes that come into force in 2017, the team is also changing engine providers.

After a season using year-old Ferrari power units, 2017 will see Toro Rosso brought back into line with its sister team Red Bull Racing in once again using the same up-to-date engines as works team Renault F1.

The team is yet to confirm when it will launch its new 2017 contender. The first four-day pre-season test at Barcelona is scheduled to start on February 27.

Force India has already confirmed that its new car has also passed the FIA crash tests. The VJM10 will be formally launched at Silverstone on February 22.

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Toro Rosso

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.