This time last year, Red Bull made much fun of the fact that its 2017 contender was to be designated the RB13.

To the accompaniment of the Stevie Wonder classic Superstition, the Austrian team showed images of all manner of icons associated with the number that triggers triskaidekaphobes the world over.

Black cats, broken mirrors, ladders and upturned salt cellars were all shown as the team showed its contempt for such out-dated nonsense.

Sadly, as Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will tell you, the team went on to suffer an alarming number of DNFs, the pair finishing just 67.5% of the races they started and completing 72% of the season's racing laps.

A year later, and sister team Toro Rosso does not appear to have learned from Red Bull's mistake.

Following a successful fire-up at the Faenza factory on Wednesday, the team issued a tweet gently mocking those doom-mongers and naysayers who remain convinced that Honda - Toro Rosso's new engine partner - will ever get on top of the hybrid formula and that it will all end in tears.

Aware that the watching world is waiting for it all to go wrong, the Faenza team tweeted a jokey Q&A (pictured) aimed at putting all the doubting Thomas', Fernandos and Stoffs out of their misery.

With the Honda-engined Faenza contender to be designated the STR13, one cannot help but feel that Toro Rosso has not learned from history and is pushing its luck.

LATEST NEWS

more news >

LATEST IMAGES

galleries >

Click to go to the main galleries section

READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by FZRNiko, 19/02/2018 14:49

"The point of the piece comes across differently, Chris. "

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

2. Posted by Editor, 19/02/2018 10:15

"The point of the piece is not whether 13 is unlucky or not... (groan)

but that Red Bull chose to openly mock the fact.

"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

3. Posted by FZRNiko, 19/02/2018 10:06

"Right... Okay... And let's not forget the MP4-13 that won the championship in 1998. They was really unlucky they."

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

4. Posted by Steve W, 17/02/2018 13:14

"Superstition causes humans to do some strange things. Or is it the other way around?"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

5. Posted by Editor, 15/02/2018 12:28

"@GrahamG

But he wasn't relying on a Honda engine was he?"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

6. Posted by GrahamG, 15/02/2018 12:24

"Don't forget that Hannu Mikkola won the RAC rally in car registration number OOM 13M with competition number 13 on the side - it's not always unlucky in motorsport"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

Toro Rosso failing to learn from history?

LATEST NEWS

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST IMAGES

POST A COMMENT

Post your comment

READERS COMMENTS

Share this page