Berger says Toro Rosso will build own car

Toro Rosso boss Gerhard Berger says the Italian squad will design their own car for the 2007 season, dismissing suggestions that the team and Red Bull Racing will compete with an almost identical car

Michele Lostia Nov 8, 2006, 1:55 PM

As revealed by high level sources to autosport.com earlier this year, a number of Formula One teams were looking into the possibility of legal action if the Red Bull teams go ahead with plans to run with similar Adrian Newey-designed cars for 2007.

But Berger has quashed the suggestions, saying Toro Rosso will have their own car design next season, thus also denying rumours that the team will just use this year's RBR cars, which were fitted with the same power units Toro Rosso will use next year.

"That's not true," Berger told Autosprint when asked about the suggestions. "It will be a project carried out in house, on the basis of our experience.

"It won't be derived from the Red Bull car and neither, as far as the starting point is concerned, from this year's Toro Rosso.

"The decision over the engine came late, so the car won't be ready before the end of January."

Toro Rosso will switch from Cosworth to Ferrari engines in 2007, while Red Bull Racing will use Renault units.