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Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost has confirmed that he would like the team switch to Renault power for 2014.

Like several other teams, STR does not yet have a contract for the first year of the new turbo era.

Tost said that sharing the same powerplant as sister team Red Bull Racing would have obvious benefits in the build-up to 2014 – which could of course include using an RBR gearbox along with other systems.

“It has not been decided yet,” he said. “We are in negotiation with Renault, and then we will see. No contract is signed so far.

“We need to know as soon as possible, because as you know the earlier [you sign] with partners the easier it is to go into detail and sort out all the open questions, because next year’s drivetrain package is very complicated.

“Not so much from the engine side, but much more from the turbo, because of the heat, from the air system, and then as well from the gearbox. This complete package has to become one unit, and you need to know as soon as possible who are our partners.”

Asked by this blog if Ferrari had indicated that it didn’t have the capacity to supply STR, he said: “No Ferrari didn’t say that they are not able to supply more teams. It’s our target to run the same engine as Red Bull Racing is using, to use the synergies which are possible from the relation side. That’s the reason why.”

Tost stressed how complicated the new package will be: “As we look into the 2014 regulations the more we know about this, the more question marks are coming up, This will be a really difficult issue from the technical side as well as from the economical side. It’s a great challenge for all of us.”

Max Chilton gave the new MR02 its first laps this morning. Photo: AC

The new Marussia MR02 took to the track in Jerez in the hands of Max Chilton this morning, shortly after the car was unveiled for the first time.

Project led by Pat Symonds, the car is visibly a step forward relative to its predecessors, and is an altogether neater package.

The car is the first from the Virgin/Marussia camp to be designed via a blend of the wind tunnel and CFD. The first three cars were produced with CFD and last year’s was developed in the tunnel. The team has used the McLaren tunnel and simulator in its development programme, and among other things that has led to a Coanda-style exhaust, which is a major step forward.

It’s also the first car to feature KERS – sourced from Williams – which has inevitably led to some big changes in the package. Marussia is now the only user of the Cosworth engine, which is mated as previously to an Xtrac gearbox.

“We embark on the first pre-season test of 2013 feeling very positive about our new car – the MR02 – and what lies ahead in this next important chapter in the development of the Marussia F1 Team,” said team boss John Booth. “Whilst we have experienced some changes over the winter, the one area of stability we have enjoyed is the one that is most important to our progression from here, the design of our 2013 race car, led by our Technical Director Pat Symonds. The incremental steps we were taking in the latter half of last season gave us the confidence to not only fight hard for 10^th place in the Constructors’ Championship, but to feel encouraged by our overall design direction, which was the basis for the car we are fielding here in Jerez today.

“We are confident that the MR02 is the product of evolving elements of last year’s package whilst integrating the new KERS system. It was said many times during 2012 that, notwithstanding the impressive steps we were taking in other areas of our development, KERS – or the lack of it – was the defining factor in determining our position relative to our immediate competitors. KERS was however a ‘strategic omission’ from our package until now; we opted to place the emphasis on aerodynamics, so that when we were in a position to bring the system to the car, we already had the strongest possible basis and its integration would be relatively straightforward.

“Thus far, this has certainly been the case, as our trackside engineering team have spent the winter refining their tools and preparing for the addition of KERS to ensure we can hit the ground running with effect from this week and use the short period of testing we have to get the car optimised for Melbourne.”

Pic and Van der garde with their new toy in Jerez this morning. Photo: AC

Caterham left it to the last minute by launching its new CT03 just before the start of testing at Jerez today.

The car features a dramatic new livery and retains the step on its nose. Significantly it’s the first car produced in the team’s new facility rather than at its original home in Hingham. The car is called CT03 because CT02 was allocated to a road car.

“CT03 is the first car we have produced in the Leafield Technical Centre so it marks an important milestone in the development of our team,” said technical director Mark Smith. “The season ahead presented us with an interesting challenge early in the design process as it is the last year of the current regulations before the introduction of the new engine rules in 2014.

“With that in mind we decided that CT03 would be an evolution of CT01 rather than a complete re-design, allowing us to focus our resources on developing areas of last year’s package where opportunities would give us the greatest return, whilst also beginning work on the 2014 package.”

Smith insists that the car has changed a lot since last year.

“We have made a number of significant changes to the car that takes it from the package that gained us tenth place in the 2012 Championship in Brazil into CT03. Among the most obvious are around the lower chassis where the sidepods have been significantly undercut to improve airflow to the rear of the car.

“The diffuser, engine cover and cooling exits have also seen major changes and there are more subtle improvements to other areas of the car, such as the sidepod turning vanes and the lower tea-tray area. This is the package we will take to race one in Australia, and as part of the 2013 upgrade programme we will then bring new front and rear wings and a new diffuser soon after the start of the season.

“However, the CT03 car that starts testing in Spain on day one in Jerez is not the only visible change amongst a number of other important developments at Caterham this winter.

“Personally I am excited about the season ahead, and the challenges that face us. Regardless of the resources and budget available, all the teams will be racing in 2013 with one eye on next year when the new rules may present opportunities to make significant gains, much greater than those available under static rules. Our whole team is ready for its fourth season in F1 and I am sure it is going to be another thrilling championship.”

Pic and Van der Garde with their new toy in Jerez this morning. Photo: AC

Caterham unveiled its new Caterham CT03 in Jerez this morning, just minutes before the start of official testing.

The car is called 03 because 02 was allocated to a road car project.

The car has a new colourscheme with prominet branding for Renault, Airbus, GE and Giedo van der Garde’s sponsor, McGregor.

It has retained a prominent step on the nose, the team preferring not to go for a vanity panel.

New Marussia looks a lot tidier than previous cars. Photo: AC

Marussia unveiled its new MR02 at a chilly Jerez this morning, just prior to the start of official testing.

The new Marussia was unveiled today. Photo: AC

Lewis Hamilton said today that he laughs at criticism of his decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes.

Hamilton has faced ongoing negative comments from former F1 drivers and media pundits since his move was announced in September, with the likes of Jackie Stewart and Allan McNish among the more recent contributors to the debate.

“It makes me laugh just to see other people’s comments,” he said when asked about it by this blog. “Everyone’s got an opinion, which is fair enough, but you should just keep it to yourself in general. As for me, I’m just trying to focus and remain positive about it. It’s my decision, it’s nothing to do with any of these people that are commenting on it.

“It’s up to me. My family’s supportive of it, I feel good about it, and that’s all that matters. We all get to make choices in our lives, and as long as you feel comfortable about it in your heart, and in your mind, then that’s all that matters.”

Meanwhile after his brief run in the W04 at Jerez today Hamilton was reluctant to make too many comparisons between the new car and the McLaren he drove last year.

“It just feels like an F1 car still. It’s got downforce and wheels just like the previous car had. The tyres that I’m driving are demonstration tyres, so I’m not really taking too much from that drive. It’s a Mercedes engine, so it’s still got all the power that I normally have.

“But at the moment it’s got lots of different switches and buttons that I have to get used to, all the different procedures and all the different things that they’re talking about, all the different terminology that they are using, that’s really what I’m focussing on mostly.”

The new Toro Rosso has been unveiled in Jerez: Photo: AC

Toro Rosso technical director James Key admits that the timing of his arrival at the team and the need to look ahead at 2014 means that the new STR8 is not a radical departure from last year’s car.

The new car, which still features STR’s trademark undercut sidepods – albeit not as pronounced – was unveiled at Jerez on Monday evening.

Key arrived at the team in September, which limited the opportunity to put his stamp on the car and in effect introduce some Sauber influence.

“I’ve done quite a lot with the guys in 2014 to try and get the programme underway,” he told this writer. “I think we clearly want to make STR8 a good step, and that’s certainly a big priority for most of the people at the moment, so we’re concentrating on STR8. We haven’t got the luxury of saying let’s not worry about this year. We’re having to mix and match a little bit with a bias towards this year right now.

“But I think to a certain extent at the time of year I arrived it simply wasn’t possible to do that anyway. It was a case of going though with what we had, which I think was fine anyway, to be honest.”

Key said that many of the key parameters were fixed more or less at the time he arrived.

“For me it’s been a case that September was a really tricky period with the car, because it’s the definition period for all the big bits, and that was happening when I arrived, although everything from what I could see was a pretty big step. So for me it was ensuring that we understand how we can use the new mechanical designs we’ve introduced, all of which are pretty flexible. And then really concentrate on the aero side as much as we can.

“I think where were we are with the car that’s been launched today it’s not the final product by any stretch. It’s pretty close to the mechanical final product, but from an aero point of view, it’s a long way off what we’ll develop towards during the year.”

The new Toro Rosso has been unveiled in Jerez: Photo: AC

Toro Rosso took the covers off its new STR8 in the Jerez pit lane late on Monday, appropriately becoming the eighth team to show a 2013 model.

Team principal Franz Tost made it clear that the target of the Italian outfit is to finish sixth in the World Championship this year.

The car is the first designed under new technical director James Key, who joined in the middle of last season after creating the successful Sauber C31.

Williams technical director Mike Coughlan says that the team is well on schedule with the FW35, which will be launched in Barcelona on February 19.

Coughlan stressed that the team opted for a late shakedown in order to gain two extra weeks of wind tunnel development. The old FW34 will run this week in Barcelona.

“As part of our preparations for the 2013 season, we took the decision to launch our FW35 in Barcelona for a number of reasons,” said Coughlan. “We have already spent a great deal of time rig testing key areas of the new car for reliability, including doing over 3000kms on the gearbox and rear suspension and 7000kms on our 2013 KERS, and we are happy with the results we have seen.

“Our cars also passed all mandatory crash tests for 2013 and so were fully FIA homologated earlier this year. Our focus for track testing is to work on developing our aerodynamic package with extra time and resource now being available in the wind tunnel for a further upgraded race package ahead of the Australian GP.”

Meanwhile the team has promoted Pastor Maldonado’s former engineer Xevi Pujolar to the new role of chief race engineer. The team says he will oversee “all aspects of race car performance within trackside operations,” and thus in effect replaces the departed Mark Gillan.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg do a spot of PR for their new sponsor…

Lewis Hamilton emphasised his optimism about 2013 by saying that Mercedes ‘doesn’t know how to lose.’

Hamilton makes his first proper public appearance as a Mercedes driver as testing kicks off in Jerez this week.

“It’s a very special day for me to officially present our Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow to the world,” said Hamilton. “There is no company with a longer history in Grand Prix racing than Mercedes-Benz and it is an honour for me to tread in the footsteps of legends like Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Stirling Moss and Michael Schumacher.

“It’s the start of a new chapter for me, a new adventure, and when I walked through the doors in Brackley, I was so excited to get down to work. I’ve been at the factory for a few days now, getting to know the guys, meeting my mechanics and engineers, learning myself into the team and I have never seen a group of people that is hungrier for success than this one.

“They have been flat out this winter trying to pack more performance into the new car and I can’t wait to drive it and see where I can make a difference to help push the team forward with Nico.

“This is a new start for me with the team in Brackley but I have worked with Mercedes-Benz for a very long time now, and I learned one thing most of all: Mercedes-Benz doesn’t know how to lose. We are playing a long game here but I know we will have success together and I’m excited to be a big part of making it happen.”