Scuderia Toro Rosso have admitted that the high-speed crash suffered by Sébastien Bourdais during the STR3's first official testing appearance at Barcelona yesterday (Wednesday) may force the car's competition debut to be postponed.
The Frenchman was running well – and quicker than the
Red Bull Racing RB4 of
Mark Webber, on which the STR3 is based – up until his heavy ‘off' in the afternoon [see separate story –
click here], and though he was able to walk away unscathed, the same could not be said for the car.
The impact heftily damaged the left-hand side of the machine, and the cause of the accident – which occurred on the four-time Champ Car king's 72nd lap of the day – is being investigated.
The STR3 was due to continue running in the hands of team-mate
Sebastian Vettel today, but that has now been shelved due to a lack of spare parts. An
STR spokesperson has also confirmed that the setback may cause the car's racing debut – originally scheduled for Istanbul next month – to be delayed.
“The plan was to introduce the new car as from the Turkish Grand Prix,”
Grand Prix Magazine quotes a team statement as reading. “These plans might have to be changed as the new car was very badly damaged in the testing accident.”
Should that indeed prove to be the case, the small Faenza-based concern will continue to campaign its interim STR2B, a development of the car it raced in 2007.
Meanwhile, Swiss newspaper
Blick suggests Vettel is almost certainly set to graduate to the senior Red Bull Racing outfit next year – what will be only his second full season in the top flight. The rumours would seem to confirm claims made last year by energy drinks magnate Dietrich Mateschitz that the young German will remain a Red Bull driver for the foreseeable future.
