Official: Toro Rosso retains Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo

The logic is respected: Toro Rosso has decided to give a second season to its two rookies for the next season. Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo, therefore, retain their seats. While the Frenchman discovered F1 this season, the Australian had prior experience thanks to his race stints with HRT during the 2011 season. Jean-Eric Vergne hasn’t had to be embarrassed compared to his teammate, since, even though he’s often outqualified, the Frenchman has scored twelve points against nine for his teammate.

Franz Tost, the team principal, stated: The two drivers have done a good job this season. Daniel joined us with a few Grand Prix. His feedback and experience have been very useful while Jean-Eric was gaining strength on circuits he often hadn’t seen before. Since the summer break, both drivers have scored more points, and everyone within the team has been impressed by their maturity in terms of working with the engineers and their cars on the track. We will do our best in the coming months to produce a 2013 car capable of showcasing their talent.

This extension is logical and part of the young driver development plan implemented by the energy drink company. Indeed, their predecessors, Sébastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, also benefited from two full seasons to prove themselves.

The year 2013 will be even more decisive for the two drivers as a spot might open up in the main team, Red Bull Racing, since many voices in the paddock suggest a possible transfer of Mark Webber or even Sebastian Vettel to Ferrari to support Fernando Alonso. The two drivers from Faenza are therefore natural candidates to succeed them at Milton Keynes, which will undoubtedly intensify their rivalry over the year.

This new announcement, made on the same day as the transfer of Nico Hülkenberg to Sauber, therefore closes new (small) opportunities for drivers wishing to progress within a mid-field team. The rivalry for the remaining seat at Sauber and especially at Force India will therefore be even more significant…

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr