Only Red Bull program drivers for Toro Rosso
Several drivers appear to be in the running to drive for the Toro Rosso team in 2012 - notably Buemi, Alguersuari, Ricciardo, Vergne, and Pic. However, Franz Tost reiterated that the team's purpose is to exclusively run drivers from Red Bull's young driver program, and this will continue in 2012.
The Toro Rosso team, owned by Red Bull, is a team to test the young drivers from the program established by the famous Austrian brand. And Franz Tost, the team’s director, insisted that it would be the same next year, which means that some drivers who were announced at Toro Rosso are no longer candidates for a seat in 2012.
This is particularly the case for the Frenchman Charles Pic, who was in negotiations with the Italian team. The two 2012 seats should therefore be contested between members of the Red Bull program, the two current drivers Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi, and two hopefuls Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.
“It is 100% certain that next year we will have two Red Bull drivers. That is the purpose and the reason why Red Bull bought the team. Our job is to allow young drivers from the Red Bull program to enter Formula 1 to be trained before joining Red Bull Racing,” Franz Tost told Sportwoche.
Toro Rosso’s sole purpose is to train and detect a good driver capable of joining the first team, Red Bull Racing, but this has only happened once so far with Sebastian Vettel. Franz Tost thinks the German driver is different from his counterparts because he has more talent, but he is also better prepared to work and progress as a driver.
«The reasons for this are simple. First of all, he is more talented than the others. He is also more disciplined, brings his passion to his sport, is more innovative, more open, and more flexible in accepting feedback to make himself better. And that’s why he’s a world champion.»
In their development, too many drivers get to Formula 1 and think ‘that’s it, now I’ve made it’. But in fact, the hardest part is just beginning from that moment onwards. Everything they’ve experienced before was just kindergarten. In Formula 1, you have to think and live for Formula 1, 100%, and only a few drivers are capable of doing that, added Tost.
