08 | 12 | 09
Following Brendon Hartley and Mirko Bortolotti's tests in Spain, we caught up with chief engineer Laurent Mekies for his reaction to the three days.
“We tried to build a running plan that gives us the opportunity to compare Brendon and Mirko, to give them the opportunity to give some feedback on the car under different conditions, in a way that they can see how good their feeling and feedback is," said Laurent. “The second part of the programme is more technical. Every time we can, we test new elements that will be actually fitted onto the new car. So this can be mechanical or aerodynamic components, so that’s why you see us doing a lot of straightline passes, a lot of aerodynamic measurements.
“Another very important aspect is next year’s big rule change: the refuelling ban. The car will run much heavier, so we simulated the car with a very high mass. We don’t add the fuel, the monocoque is not big enough, but we added ballast to be more or less the weight of next year’s race start.”
Which was the main target for this test?
“The driver is the priority for this test. With the new testing rules, new drivers don’t really have a chance to drive a F1 car.”
How do you evaluate them?
“We have a similar programme for both and it's a simpler programme to our racing drivers'. For example, when we evaluate new components or a new set-up, we try to only change one item at a time, so they have a chance to understand what a tyre change is, what kind of feedback is required, what an aerodynamic change is, etc.”
What is the most important thing?
“To be honest, the most important thing will always be the speed, lap time.”
What about consistency?
“Yes, consistency is important. But you always prefer a driver who has very good speed, because you hope that – especially with young drivers – consistency comes with experience. Of course, there is consistency and the ability to give proper feedback, but all these things will come with experience. Speed also comes with experience, but to a lesser extent.”
Do you sometimes lie about set-up changes?
“No, we don’t tell lies! Sometimes we don't tell the driver about the changes we've done. It’s natural, if you know what you should expect, then you're already prepared to feel that. So sometimes we do blind tests, but this is for the team's and the driver's benefit.”
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Friday, 4 December 2009
Jerez Test – Day 3
03 | 12 | 09
Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera - 4.423kms; Driver: Mirko Bortolotti/Brendon Hartley; Chassis: STR4-03; Best time: 1:23.271, 34 laps/1:22.493, 50 laps
The final day of this session, aimed at young drivers saw Mirko Bortolotti at the wheel of the STR 4 in the morning, with Brendon Hartley taking over for the afternoon. The three days produced plenty of aero measurement data for our engineers to work on for next year and, although frustrating for the drivers, as it affected their lap times, the car was run in heavyweight configuration for most of the time, in order to assess the impact of running heavy fuel loads next year.
“I am very happy to have been given this opportunity by Red Bull and it was an honour to drive for Toro Rosso,” said Mirko Bortolotti. “I felt comfortable with the team where everyone made me feel welcome. It was a very interesting experience, especially testing some things that might be used on next year’s car. It’s a shame that it started to rain today, which prevented me using a new set of tyres, but that’s the way it is.”
“I was really happy with this half day,” said Brendon Hartley. “We did a lot of running and I think my pace was pretty good, when fuel-corrected, so from my side I’m quite happy. It was interesting for me to work with so many people, with such a big team, as I am used to working with just one engineer. It was a great experience and I really want to say thank you to Red Bull.”
“Both drivers did a good job,” commented Franz Tost. “They are talented and if they do well in other racing categories in 2010, I think they have a good chance of being up to the required standard to make it into Formula 1 in 2011. We completed many laps and we achieved our main targets, namely to get an impression of both the drivers and to carry out some tests aimed at next year.”
.Related ArticlesQ&A With Mirko Bortolotti
03 | 12 | 09
The second of our drivers at the Jerez test is Mirko Bortolotti. Here’s [...]
Read the full article
Q&A With Brendon Hartley
Jerez Test - Day 2
Jerez Test - Day 1
All The Young Dudes
Bourdais Leaves Scuderia Toro Rosso
Reserve Driver Change
Fancy A Trip Around The Factory?
Trofeo Bandini
Meet The New GuyRelated Links .
Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera - 4.423kms; Driver: Mirko Bortolotti/Brendon Hartley; Chassis: STR4-03; Best time: 1:23.271, 34 laps/1:22.493, 50 laps
The final day of this session, aimed at young drivers saw Mirko Bortolotti at the wheel of the STR 4 in the morning, with Brendon Hartley taking over for the afternoon. The three days produced plenty of aero measurement data for our engineers to work on for next year and, although frustrating for the drivers, as it affected their lap times, the car was run in heavyweight configuration for most of the time, in order to assess the impact of running heavy fuel loads next year.
“I am very happy to have been given this opportunity by Red Bull and it was an honour to drive for Toro Rosso,” said Mirko Bortolotti. “I felt comfortable with the team where everyone made me feel welcome. It was a very interesting experience, especially testing some things that might be used on next year’s car. It’s a shame that it started to rain today, which prevented me using a new set of tyres, but that’s the way it is.”
“I was really happy with this half day,” said Brendon Hartley. “We did a lot of running and I think my pace was pretty good, when fuel-corrected, so from my side I’m quite happy. It was interesting for me to work with so many people, with such a big team, as I am used to working with just one engineer. It was a great experience and I really want to say thank you to Red Bull.”
“Both drivers did a good job,” commented Franz Tost. “They are talented and if they do well in other racing categories in 2010, I think they have a good chance of being up to the required standard to make it into Formula 1 in 2011. We completed many laps and we achieved our main targets, namely to get an impression of both the drivers and to carry out some tests aimed at next year.”
.Related ArticlesQ&A With Mirko Bortolotti
03 | 12 | 09
The second of our drivers at the Jerez test is Mirko Bortolotti. Here’s [...]
Read the full article
Q&A With Brendon Hartley
Jerez Test - Day 2
Jerez Test - Day 1
All The Young Dudes
Bourdais Leaves Scuderia Toro Rosso
Reserve Driver Change
Fancy A Trip Around The Factory?
Trofeo Bandini
Meet The New GuyRelated Links .
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Q and A With Mirko Bortolotti
03 | 12 | 09
The second of our drivers at the Jerez test is Mirko Bortolotti. Here’s the Italian’s take on the week and moving on up to F1…
What was the experience like to be back in an F1 car?
“It’s a great opportunity and experience for me after last year’s test. The programme was quite different, we had some parts to test, but it’s still a Formula One car and it’s great. It’s great to be here.”
What’s the difference between a Formula One car and a Formula 2 car?
“There are so many differences, you can’t even imagine. It’s completely different. You cannot compare a F1 car to any other car. It’s a different world. Everything is different, you have more power, more brake power, more grip, so you have to change your driving style and try to drive the F1 car as best as possible, which is not the same way as you would drive another car.”
Is there pressure on you to perform better than at last year’s test with Ferrari?
“No, of course I always try to push myself to the limit. But the tests have been different, you focus on different things, like lap times or you try new parts, etc.”
Were you satisfied with your performance today?
“Yes, considering what happened. Of course, I am not completely satisfied, because there was the potential to improve our performance.”
What’s your goal for the next year, next two years? To move up to test driver?
“Yes, that would be very nice. But of course that’s a big point. For now I will just focus on next year, even though I don’t know what I am going to do next year, but as soon as I know I will concentrate and prepare myself for that in the best way and try to be competitive in that series where I will race. My target is to win everywhere I am racing.”
What’s the best option for you?
“I don’t know at the moment, there are so many categories. You always know this kind of thing after the season! The most important thing for me today was the chance to work in Formula One with the team. I enjoyed it a lot, because you have the chance to do a lap, come in the garage, change some things, go out again and see how the car changed. That is very important for young drivers and for me it’s a great experience.
“I’m really trying to concentrate, because there is just so much to do and focus on in the car, the cockpit has so many switches and buttons, you have a lot of work to do in the car, which is probably the biggest differences to other racing cars.”
The second of our drivers at the Jerez test is Mirko Bortolotti. Here’s the Italian’s take on the week and moving on up to F1…
What was the experience like to be back in an F1 car?
“It’s a great opportunity and experience for me after last year’s test. The programme was quite different, we had some parts to test, but it’s still a Formula One car and it’s great. It’s great to be here.”
What’s the difference between a Formula One car and a Formula 2 car?
“There are so many differences, you can’t even imagine. It’s completely different. You cannot compare a F1 car to any other car. It’s a different world. Everything is different, you have more power, more brake power, more grip, so you have to change your driving style and try to drive the F1 car as best as possible, which is not the same way as you would drive another car.”
Is there pressure on you to perform better than at last year’s test with Ferrari?
“No, of course I always try to push myself to the limit. But the tests have been different, you focus on different things, like lap times or you try new parts, etc.”
Were you satisfied with your performance today?
“Yes, considering what happened. Of course, I am not completely satisfied, because there was the potential to improve our performance.”
What’s your goal for the next year, next two years? To move up to test driver?
“Yes, that would be very nice. But of course that’s a big point. For now I will just focus on next year, even though I don’t know what I am going to do next year, but as soon as I know I will concentrate and prepare myself for that in the best way and try to be competitive in that series where I will race. My target is to win everywhere I am racing.”
What’s the best option for you?
“I don’t know at the moment, there are so many categories. You always know this kind of thing after the season! The most important thing for me today was the chance to work in Formula One with the team. I enjoyed it a lot, because you have the chance to do a lap, come in the garage, change some things, go out again and see how the car changed. That is very important for young drivers and for me it’s a great experience.
“I’m really trying to concentrate, because there is just so much to do and focus on in the car, the cockpit has so many switches and buttons, you have a lot of work to do in the car, which is probably the biggest differences to other racing cars.”
Q and A With Brendon Hartley
03 | 12 | 09
The first of our young drivers to take to the track in Jerez was New Zealander Hartley. Here’s what Brendon had to say on Wednesday about F1, rugby and his time testing.
How did it feel to be back in Formula One car?
“It was nice to be driving a F1 car again. You always forget a little bit how fast the car really is, it’s the fastest car on the planet, so always a special feeling to be enjoying so many forces on the body and to be going so fast. Quite an experience.”
What went wrong on Tuesday morning?
“Actually we were doing aero testing and so there was no temperature in the tyres, and they put the hard ones on just to use them and they said it’s going to be quite slippery but I think we underestimated it a bit, the tyre temperatures were quite low, it was like driving on ice actually, and Daniel had exactly the same problem, and spun on the same corner. I think I had 20% throttle. And the car spun, it was a bit unfortunate to start the day like that. But in fact there was not so much damage, I touched the wall very slightly. But we lost a lot of time. It was not the best way to start the day, it was like driving on ice. So lesson learned.”
Did you manage to finish the programme?
“Yes, I think we missed one run, but for the testing and for what they needed to achieve, we achieved almost everything.”
Have you driven the Renault 3.5 car?
“Yes, I think I did 5 races with it this year. I took pole position at the Nurburgring and a few good results.”
How does a F1 car compare to that?
“Obviously it’s a lot faster. I mean there’s a lot of similarities if you look at the car. The general public would probably not see the difference. I think driving there, you learn a lot to drive here. It’s just another level here, the forces on the body, the braking distances, the speed that your mind needs to work is a lot higher and I think more importantly you work with a lot more people. There’s a lot of people in the team and you need to understand how to communicate with everyone and also the controls and procedures, which are going on inside the cockpit. There’s a lot more to take on.”
Last year you gave up being the third driver to race, do you think that was the way to go?
“Yes, it was disappointing because Jaime took the racing seat. But I don’t think I was really ready, I didn’t have the good results, so if I had arrived in Formula One with the results I had, it would have been short-term. I want to arrive there when I proved myself, so I am planning on a good season next year racing with Tech1 in World Series and I think they’ve god a good opportunity to win races, they are a good team. So I think if I do a good job, I get the same opportunity again.”
Daniel will be your team-mate next year?
“Yes, exactly.”
How well you know him?
“I know him very well. We have been living in Milton Keynes together, so we were training together the whole time: cycling, tennis.”
Any Aussie-Kiwi rivalry there?
“Yes, for sure. There’s always a bit of rivalry there. But we are good friends, in the end on the track we will be enemies. But I think outside the track we can still be friends.”
So do you talk more about motor racing or cricket and rugby?
“I think on the outside life you need to separate a little bit. We are going to be team-mates next year, so I think it’s good to have someone that you can speak to not just about motor racing.”
Is the World Series a good stepping stone into Formula One?
“Definitely, you have the paddle shift, you have a big car to drive, big sets of tyres, teaches you a lot, you have pit stops in the races, all these things that make a difference when you get thrown into F1, where you to do the same things.”
How is your neck here?
“It’s pretty tough. I’m not going to lie. It’s very difficult to prepare for driving a Formula 1 car. I’ve been training a lot with the neck, but the best training is just driving.”
.
The first of our young drivers to take to the track in Jerez was New Zealander Hartley. Here’s what Brendon had to say on Wednesday about F1, rugby and his time testing.
How did it feel to be back in Formula One car?
“It was nice to be driving a F1 car again. You always forget a little bit how fast the car really is, it’s the fastest car on the planet, so always a special feeling to be enjoying so many forces on the body and to be going so fast. Quite an experience.”
What went wrong on Tuesday morning?
“Actually we were doing aero testing and so there was no temperature in the tyres, and they put the hard ones on just to use them and they said it’s going to be quite slippery but I think we underestimated it a bit, the tyre temperatures were quite low, it was like driving on ice actually, and Daniel had exactly the same problem, and spun on the same corner. I think I had 20% throttle. And the car spun, it was a bit unfortunate to start the day like that. But in fact there was not so much damage, I touched the wall very slightly. But we lost a lot of time. It was not the best way to start the day, it was like driving on ice. So lesson learned.”
Did you manage to finish the programme?
“Yes, I think we missed one run, but for the testing and for what they needed to achieve, we achieved almost everything.”
Have you driven the Renault 3.5 car?
“Yes, I think I did 5 races with it this year. I took pole position at the Nurburgring and a few good results.”
How does a F1 car compare to that?
“Obviously it’s a lot faster. I mean there’s a lot of similarities if you look at the car. The general public would probably not see the difference. I think driving there, you learn a lot to drive here. It’s just another level here, the forces on the body, the braking distances, the speed that your mind needs to work is a lot higher and I think more importantly you work with a lot more people. There’s a lot of people in the team and you need to understand how to communicate with everyone and also the controls and procedures, which are going on inside the cockpit. There’s a lot more to take on.”
Last year you gave up being the third driver to race, do you think that was the way to go?
“Yes, it was disappointing because Jaime took the racing seat. But I don’t think I was really ready, I didn’t have the good results, so if I had arrived in Formula One with the results I had, it would have been short-term. I want to arrive there when I proved myself, so I am planning on a good season next year racing with Tech1 in World Series and I think they’ve god a good opportunity to win races, they are a good team. So I think if I do a good job, I get the same opportunity again.”
Daniel will be your team-mate next year?
“Yes, exactly.”
How well you know him?
“I know him very well. We have been living in Milton Keynes together, so we were training together the whole time: cycling, tennis.”
Any Aussie-Kiwi rivalry there?
“Yes, for sure. There’s always a bit of rivalry there. But we are good friends, in the end on the track we will be enemies. But I think outside the track we can still be friends.”
So do you talk more about motor racing or cricket and rugby?
“I think on the outside life you need to separate a little bit. We are going to be team-mates next year, so I think it’s good to have someone that you can speak to not just about motor racing.”
Is the World Series a good stepping stone into Formula One?
“Definitely, you have the paddle shift, you have a big car to drive, big sets of tyres, teaches you a lot, you have pit stops in the races, all these things that make a difference when you get thrown into F1, where you to do the same things.”
How is your neck here?
“It’s pretty tough. I’m not going to lie. It’s very difficult to prepare for driving a Formula 1 car. I’ve been training a lot with the neck, but the best training is just driving.”
.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Jerez Test - Day 1
Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera (4.423kms) Driver: Brendon Hartley; Chassis: STR4-03; Best time: 1:21.325, 69 laps
It is 'kindergarten week' at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain as several Formula One teams are taking part in a three day session specifically aimed at young drivers. The criterion for taking part in the test is that a driver should not have driven in more than three Formula One grands prix.
Today, Brendon Hartley was at the wheel of the STR4. His programme did not get off to the best of starts, as he spun at the fast right hander, following the chicane, having just switched to different aero settings on the car. The damage was repaired in time for the New Zealander to get back on track by the end of the morning. His programme had three main elements: aero measurement testing in view of 2010, running the car with ballast to simulate the weight of next year’s cars on full tanks, as refueling is banned, and carrying out some brake testing.
“Apart from going off the track early on, I was generally happy with the way the day went, as I had not driven an F1 car for a while, so now I’m looking forward to making the best of Thursday when I get another run.”
Tomorrow, the STR4 will be entrusted to Mirko Bortolotti.
It is 'kindergarten week' at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain as several Formula One teams are taking part in a three day session specifically aimed at young drivers. The criterion for taking part in the test is that a driver should not have driven in more than three Formula One grands prix.
Today, Brendon Hartley was at the wheel of the STR4. His programme did not get off to the best of starts, as he spun at the fast right hander, following the chicane, having just switched to different aero settings on the car. The damage was repaired in time for the New Zealander to get back on track by the end of the morning. His programme had three main elements: aero measurement testing in view of 2010, running the car with ballast to simulate the weight of next year’s cars on full tanks, as refueling is banned, and carrying out some brake testing.
“Apart from going off the track early on, I was generally happy with the way the day went, as I had not driven an F1 car for a while, so now I’m looking forward to making the best of Thursday when I get another run.”
Tomorrow, the STR4 will be entrusted to Mirko Bortolotti.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Bortolotti to test for Toro Rosso
Mirko Bortolotti will drive for Scuderia Toro Rosso in the Formula 1 young driver test at Jerez next month.
The 19-year-old Italian will test on the second of three days of testing from December 1-3, with fellow Red Bull Junior Brendon Hartley likely to drive on the first and third days.
"My target is to get to Formula 1 in the next few years so to be selected for this test is very important for my career," said Bortolotti. "Of course, if I can get to F1 even sooner then that will be great, but first I must focus on Jerez.
"There are not many chances for young drivers to test an F1 car due to the regulations so I'm very excited and thankful to Red Bull for giving me this opportunity.
"I understand that it is an important test for all of the Formula 1 teams also - every mile counts, particularly with the current testing situation so I will prepare myself well over the next few weeks and be ready to help the team carry out their programme.
"Of course, I always want to be on top and beat the other guys, but I have to be realistic and focus on my own opportunity. I will try to learn as much as possible, I want to work closely with the team and see how all of the guys operate. My dream is to reach F1 and I hope this is the beginning of a good relationship with the team."
Bortolotti has previously tested for Ferrari, as part of his prize for winning the 2008 Italian F3 championship. He set an unofficial lap record at Fiorano in the F2008 last year.
He was signed up by Red Bull's young driver programme shortly after his Ferrari test in 2008.
Bortolotti finished fourth in the Formula 2 championship this season with one victory, and also finished on the podium in the F3 Euro Series finale at Hockenheim.
The 19-year-old Italian will test on the second of three days of testing from December 1-3, with fellow Red Bull Junior Brendon Hartley likely to drive on the first and third days.
"My target is to get to Formula 1 in the next few years so to be selected for this test is very important for my career," said Bortolotti. "Of course, if I can get to F1 even sooner then that will be great, but first I must focus on Jerez.
"There are not many chances for young drivers to test an F1 car due to the regulations so I'm very excited and thankful to Red Bull for giving me this opportunity.
"I understand that it is an important test for all of the Formula 1 teams also - every mile counts, particularly with the current testing situation so I will prepare myself well over the next few weeks and be ready to help the team carry out their programme.
"Of course, I always want to be on top and beat the other guys, but I have to be realistic and focus on my own opportunity. I will try to learn as much as possible, I want to work closely with the team and see how all of the guys operate. My dream is to reach F1 and I hope this is the beginning of a good relationship with the team."
Bortolotti has previously tested for Ferrari, as part of his prize for winning the 2008 Italian F3 championship. He set an unofficial lap record at Fiorano in the F2008 last year.
He was signed up by Red Bull's young driver programme shortly after his Ferrari test in 2008.
Bortolotti finished fourth in the Formula 2 championship this season with one victory, and also finished on the podium in the F3 Euro Series finale at Hockenheim.
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Buemi eyes points finish after top ten
Sebastien Buemi believes that ending the season with a points finish is possible after qualifying 10th for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Swiss, who scored his first points since April's Chinese Grand Prix in Brazil two weeks ago, admitted that he was disappointed with the result despite it being only the fourth time he will start in the top 10 during his Formula 1 career.
"I was hoping for a little bit better after finishing seventh in Q2, but I am happy with our fuel load which should allow us to be flexible in terms of race strategy," said Buemi.
"The car feels very competitive, as indeed it has been for the past few races and scoring points is a realistic target for tomorrow."
Team-mate Jaime Alguersuari, in only his eighth grand prix weekend, was satisfied despite only managing 15th on the grid after not taking part in Saturday's third free practice session with hydraulic problems.
"Taking into account that I was unable to do any laps this morning, because of a problem with the car, I think my performance in qualifying was quite positive especially as I was not completely happy with the aerodynamic balance of the car," said the Spaniard.
"I was not expecting to make it to Q2 after not running in FP3 on a track that is new to everyone. Looking back at my season, I think that getting into Q2 again shows I am making progress, but I still have a lot to learn. I hope I can have a nice race to end the season tomorrow."
The Swiss, who scored his first points since April's Chinese Grand Prix in Brazil two weeks ago, admitted that he was disappointed with the result despite it being only the fourth time he will start in the top 10 during his Formula 1 career.
"I was hoping for a little bit better after finishing seventh in Q2, but I am happy with our fuel load which should allow us to be flexible in terms of race strategy," said Buemi.
"The car feels very competitive, as indeed it has been for the past few races and scoring points is a realistic target for tomorrow."
Team-mate Jaime Alguersuari, in only his eighth grand prix weekend, was satisfied despite only managing 15th on the grid after not taking part in Saturday's third free practice session with hydraulic problems.
"Taking into account that I was unable to do any laps this morning, because of a problem with the car, I think my performance in qualifying was quite positive especially as I was not completely happy with the aerodynamic balance of the car," said the Spaniard.
"I was not expecting to make it to Q2 after not running in FP3 on a track that is new to everyone. Looking back at my season, I think that getting into Q2 again shows I am making progress, but I still have a lot to learn. I hope I can have a nice race to end the season tomorrow."
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Our Brazilian Track Record
07 | 10 | 09
Our long haul trip to Brazil will take us to a track which is renowned for its bumpy nature and the fact that it’s at altitude.
It’s also a bit of a roller coaster, from the steep drop at the first set of corners to the grid which is actually on a slope and gets steeper towards the back, making race start for poor qualifiers even more of a challenge.
And that bumpy surface isn’t the only pain in the neck for the drivers because, like Istanbul Park, Autodromo Carlos Pace is one of the few anti-clockwise tracks.
It boasts instantly recognisable corners, such as the Senna Esses (that steep first corner drop), the hairpins at turns eight and eleven and the sweeping final corner, which leads up to the start-finish line. Each of the 71 laps is only 4.3km long, considerably shorter than most other circuits, and the lap times are reduced even further by the high speeds the cars attain through the Cafe Corner and along the home straight. The fastest lap time around Sao Paulo is a blink-and-you-miss-it 1:11.473 set by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2004.
Often called Interlagos (two lakes, now no longer there) from the district in which it’s situated, the circuit is actually named Autodromo Carlos Pace Sao after the Brazilian F1 driver who died in 1977. The circuit has been home to the Brazilian Grand Prix on and off since the event was first staged in 1973 in a race fittingly won by Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi.
The race moved to Rio de Janerio during the late ’70s and’ 80s, but returned to Sao Paulo in 1990 after a major re-development during local hero Ayrton Senna’s heyday. A trip to Senna’s grave in the city, to pay respects to the three-time world champion who died in 1994, is often one of the pilgrimages fans, drivers and members of the Paddock make when visiting Brazil.
Last year the race was the final date in the calendar and famously saw Lewis Hamilton clinch the world title from race winner Felipe Massa in the final lap and our own Sebastiasn Vettel charge to a brilliant fourth place in the rain.
Our own track record here looks like this:
2006
Speed 11th
Liuzzi 13th
2007
Liuzzi 13th
Vettel DNF
2008
Vettel 4th
Bourdais 14th
Our long haul trip to Brazil will take us to a track which is renowned for its bumpy nature and the fact that it’s at altitude.
It’s also a bit of a roller coaster, from the steep drop at the first set of corners to the grid which is actually on a slope and gets steeper towards the back, making race start for poor qualifiers even more of a challenge.
And that bumpy surface isn’t the only pain in the neck for the drivers because, like Istanbul Park, Autodromo Carlos Pace is one of the few anti-clockwise tracks.
It boasts instantly recognisable corners, such as the Senna Esses (that steep first corner drop), the hairpins at turns eight and eleven and the sweeping final corner, which leads up to the start-finish line. Each of the 71 laps is only 4.3km long, considerably shorter than most other circuits, and the lap times are reduced even further by the high speeds the cars attain through the Cafe Corner and along the home straight. The fastest lap time around Sao Paulo is a blink-and-you-miss-it 1:11.473 set by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2004.
Often called Interlagos (two lakes, now no longer there) from the district in which it’s situated, the circuit is actually named Autodromo Carlos Pace Sao after the Brazilian F1 driver who died in 1977. The circuit has been home to the Brazilian Grand Prix on and off since the event was first staged in 1973 in a race fittingly won by Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi.
The race moved to Rio de Janerio during the late ’70s and’ 80s, but returned to Sao Paulo in 1990 after a major re-development during local hero Ayrton Senna’s heyday. A trip to Senna’s grave in the city, to pay respects to the three-time world champion who died in 1994, is often one of the pilgrimages fans, drivers and members of the Paddock make when visiting Brazil.
Last year the race was the final date in the calendar and famously saw Lewis Hamilton clinch the world title from race winner Felipe Massa in the final lap and our own Sebastiasn Vettel charge to a brilliant fourth place in the rain.
Our own track record here looks like this:
2006
Speed 11th
Liuzzi 13th
2007
Liuzzi 13th
Vettel DNF
2008
Vettel 4th
Bourdais 14th
Monday, 28 September 2009
Toro Rosso Japanese Track Record
If Monaco is the glamour track and Spa the drivers’ choice then it’s Suzuka which provides one of the most technically challenging F1 circuits.
From its figure of eight nature to the tight intricate Esses corners to the 180mph heart-stopping 130R, it’s one roller-coaster of a track. Fitting, as within its site lies a fully fledged amusement park – Motopia - and a real roller-coaster for the fans. And very often members of the Paddock.
It’s a welcome return to the circuit after a two-year absence when F1 visited Fuji, and for now and the foreseeable future, Suzuka will remain the home of the Japanese Grand Prix.
As it’s located in a relatively rural situation, the majority of drivers stay in one hotel and can be found in either its Italian or Chinese restaurants over the weekend and in its karaoke cabins on Sunday night. All this combined makes for one great F1 round, both on and off track…
Our track record in Japan looks like this:
2006 (Suzuka)
Liuzzi – 14th
Speed – 18th
2007 (Fuji Speedway)
Liuzzi – 9th
Vettel – DNF
2008 (Fuji Speedway)
Vettel – 6th
Bourdais – 10th
From its figure of eight nature to the tight intricate Esses corners to the 180mph heart-stopping 130R, it’s one roller-coaster of a track. Fitting, as within its site lies a fully fledged amusement park – Motopia - and a real roller-coaster for the fans. And very often members of the Paddock.
It’s a welcome return to the circuit after a two-year absence when F1 visited Fuji, and for now and the foreseeable future, Suzuka will remain the home of the Japanese Grand Prix.
As it’s located in a relatively rural situation, the majority of drivers stay in one hotel and can be found in either its Italian or Chinese restaurants over the weekend and in its karaoke cabins on Sunday night. All this combined makes for one great F1 round, both on and off track…
Our track record in Japan looks like this:
2006 (Suzuka)
Liuzzi – 14th
Speed – 18th
2007 (Fuji Speedway)
Liuzzi – 9th
Vettel – DNF
2008 (Fuji Speedway)
Vettel – 6th
Bourdais – 10th
Saturday, 26 September 2009
GP Singapore: Qualifying
26 | 09 | 09
Sébastien got through the first session – ending the evening 14th fastest during Q2. Jaime will start three places behind him after recording the 17th quickest time.
Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
“I am quite happy, as the session went smoothly without any mistakes. I got the most I could out of the car and am pleased to have got ahead of Trulli. I’m glad to finally be back in Q2. as it’s been a long time. Now we need to work on a race strategy, make a good start and run the pit stops well.”
3rd Practice Session 1.48.754, pos. 9th, 17 laps
Qualifying Session
1.47.369, pos. 14th
Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02)
“We did quite well and we’re getting faster. It was quite difficult to do better than that, but I am feeling more comfortable with the track every time I get in the car. This has been the hardest track I have driven apart from Macau. With it being a street circuit, anything could happen tomorrow, so hopefully I can have a good race.”
3rd Practice Session 1.49.399, pos. 18th, 17 laps
Qualifying Session
1.48.340, pos. 17th
Laurent Mekies, Chief Engineer
“We had a very difficult Friday and made a major change to the car set-up overnight, which seems to have been a step in the right direction. Sebastien and Jaime also improved their performance. Jaime has got better throughout the weekend on a track that is difficult to learn and Sebastien is back in Q2 after a gap of a few races. We’re still not where we want to be, but having made a good step forward from Friday to today, there is still room to make another one for the race, which is likely to be very chaotic, so anything can happen.”
Sébastien got through the first session – ending the evening 14th fastest during Q2. Jaime will start three places behind him after recording the 17th quickest time.
Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03)
“I am quite happy, as the session went smoothly without any mistakes. I got the most I could out of the car and am pleased to have got ahead of Trulli. I’m glad to finally be back in Q2. as it’s been a long time. Now we need to work on a race strategy, make a good start and run the pit stops well.”
3rd Practice Session 1.48.754, pos. 9th, 17 laps
Qualifying Session
1.47.369, pos. 14th
Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02)
“We did quite well and we’re getting faster. It was quite difficult to do better than that, but I am feeling more comfortable with the track every time I get in the car. This has been the hardest track I have driven apart from Macau. With it being a street circuit, anything could happen tomorrow, so hopefully I can have a good race.”
3rd Practice Session 1.49.399, pos. 18th, 17 laps
Qualifying Session
1.48.340, pos. 17th
Laurent Mekies, Chief Engineer
“We had a very difficult Friday and made a major change to the car set-up overnight, which seems to have been a step in the right direction. Sebastien and Jaime also improved their performance. Jaime has got better throughout the weekend on a track that is difficult to learn and Sebastien is back in Q2 after a gap of a few races. We’re still not where we want to be, but having made a good step forward from Friday to today, there is still room to make another one for the race, which is likely to be very chaotic, so anything can happen.”
Monday, 14 September 2009
GP Italy: Result
13 | 09 | 09
Séb finished his debut Italian Grand Prix in 13th place. A gearbox fault forced Jaime to retire after 19 laps.
Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03) Retired
(On hearing a message from the pit wall, Buemi followed the Safety Car into pit lane, therefore he did not take the chequered flag, so he is classified as retired.)
“Starting from the back, the race is never easy, but I feel my lap times were good and consistent, especially in the second stint, so I am reasonably happy. From now on, we go to tracks that are a bit slower and more technical than here, running with more downforce. Let’s see if that works better for us. Some teams have made good progress recently, so we must see if we can manage to close the gap.
Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02) Retired lap 20
“I started from the pits, so at least I kept out of the trouble on the opening lap. After that my race was going okay and I was up behind Buemi. But then I had a gearbox problem which caused my retirement. I’d also had some other troubles on Friday and when a weekend starts badly it often ends badly. I’m very disappointed not to finish, as it is very important for me to do as many kilometres in the car as possible.
Franz Tost: “The race was a good lesson for Buemi, as he finished the race, pulled off a good overtaking move on Fisichella and, especially in his second stint on Option tyres, his performance level was good. Alguersuari had a gearbox problem, so we called him in to retire. The positive aspect of this weekend is that both drivers are learning and improving.”
.Related ArticlesOur Italian Track Record
30 | 08 | 09
The last European race on the calendar is one of the most prestigious and [...]
Séb finished his debut Italian Grand Prix in 13th place. A gearbox fault forced Jaime to retire after 19 laps.
Sebastien Buemi (STR4-03) Retired
(On hearing a message from the pit wall, Buemi followed the Safety Car into pit lane, therefore he did not take the chequered flag, so he is classified as retired.)
“Starting from the back, the race is never easy, but I feel my lap times were good and consistent, especially in the second stint, so I am reasonably happy. From now on, we go to tracks that are a bit slower and more technical than here, running with more downforce. Let’s see if that works better for us. Some teams have made good progress recently, so we must see if we can manage to close the gap.
Jaime Alguersuari (STR4-02) Retired lap 20
“I started from the pits, so at least I kept out of the trouble on the opening lap. After that my race was going okay and I was up behind Buemi. But then I had a gearbox problem which caused my retirement. I’d also had some other troubles on Friday and when a weekend starts badly it often ends badly. I’m very disappointed not to finish, as it is very important for me to do as many kilometres in the car as possible.
Franz Tost: “The race was a good lesson for Buemi, as he finished the race, pulled off a good overtaking move on Fisichella and, especially in his second stint on Option tyres, his performance level was good. Alguersuari had a gearbox problem, so we called him in to retire. The positive aspect of this weekend is that both drivers are learning and improving.”
.Related ArticlesOur Italian Track Record
30 | 08 | 09
The last European race on the calendar is one of the most prestigious and [...]
Monday, 7 September 2009
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
No Health Cure at Spa
The Belgian circuit might be located in an area noted for its healthy spa waters, but this weekend was no health cure for Scuderia Toro Rosso, even if Jaime Alguersuari took an early bath after colliding with Hamilton at the second corner on the opening lap.
At least Sébastien Buemi saw the chequered flag, albeit in 12th place. The lack of points, combined with a very impressive performance from Giancarlo Fisichella, means we have now slipped to the bottom of the Constructors’ classification, three points behind Force India.
The STR4 showed some promise in the early stages of the Belgian weekend, but not enough was made of this in Qualifying. With Formula One being so competitive at the moment, and the majority of cars running reliably enough to finish races, our two drivers must get higher up on the grid on Saturday afternoon if they want to see their efforts rewarded on Sunday.
Looking outside the Toro Rosso garage, the Belgian Grand Prix was actually a fascinating race, with victory going to Kimi Raikkonen.
The unusual grid even gave rise to a ludicrous, but amusing conspiracy theory that a few teams whose future is in doubt had been given some softer tyres to help them get a good result! Before the race, there was much talk of the Ferrari getting the upper hand, but given that this is the Finn’s fourth win at Spa, we can assume driver talent might also have had something to do with it.
He did not have it all his own way, after scything through the field from sixth to second on the opening lap, then dispensing with Fisichella, once the Safety Car came in after it was needed to clear up the mess which put out four cars including Jaime’s.
If the pundits expected the Ferrari to comfortably pull away from the Force India, they were wrong and the race looked pretty open until after the second run of pit stops. With Button knocked out on lap one, Red Bull Racing was hoping to capitalise on this to close the gap in both championships. In the end, Sebastian Vettel made it to the podium in third spot, although he was behind Mark Webber in the early stages. However, the Australian was given a drive-through for an 'unsafe release' after a pit stop, ending up just outside the points in ninth.
Behind the top three, it was a good day for BMW, with Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld coming home fourth and fifth ahead of Kovalainen’s McLaren. The last two points positions were filled by the Brawn of Rubens Barrichello and the Williams of Nico Rosberg.
We now head back to Faenza after the back-to-back Valencia and Spa races, to prepare to make the short trip down the road to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
We don’t need reminding what happened there last year, but let’s be realistic, a point or two would be much appreciated.
At least Sébastien Buemi saw the chequered flag, albeit in 12th place. The lack of points, combined with a very impressive performance from Giancarlo Fisichella, means we have now slipped to the bottom of the Constructors’ classification, three points behind Force India.
The STR4 showed some promise in the early stages of the Belgian weekend, but not enough was made of this in Qualifying. With Formula One being so competitive at the moment, and the majority of cars running reliably enough to finish races, our two drivers must get higher up on the grid on Saturday afternoon if they want to see their efforts rewarded on Sunday.
Looking outside the Toro Rosso garage, the Belgian Grand Prix was actually a fascinating race, with victory going to Kimi Raikkonen.
The unusual grid even gave rise to a ludicrous, but amusing conspiracy theory that a few teams whose future is in doubt had been given some softer tyres to help them get a good result! Before the race, there was much talk of the Ferrari getting the upper hand, but given that this is the Finn’s fourth win at Spa, we can assume driver talent might also have had something to do with it.
He did not have it all his own way, after scything through the field from sixth to second on the opening lap, then dispensing with Fisichella, once the Safety Car came in after it was needed to clear up the mess which put out four cars including Jaime’s.
If the pundits expected the Ferrari to comfortably pull away from the Force India, they were wrong and the race looked pretty open until after the second run of pit stops. With Button knocked out on lap one, Red Bull Racing was hoping to capitalise on this to close the gap in both championships. In the end, Sebastian Vettel made it to the podium in third spot, although he was behind Mark Webber in the early stages. However, the Australian was given a drive-through for an 'unsafe release' after a pit stop, ending up just outside the points in ninth.
Behind the top three, it was a good day for BMW, with Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld coming home fourth and fifth ahead of Kovalainen’s McLaren. The last two points positions were filled by the Brawn of Rubens Barrichello and the Williams of Nico Rosberg.
We now head back to Faenza after the back-to-back Valencia and Spa races, to prepare to make the short trip down the road to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
We don’t need reminding what happened there last year, but let’s be realistic, a point or two would be much appreciated.
Friday, 28 August 2009
Toro Rosso at Spa
Sebastien Buemi was in the FIA press conference on Thursday, looking back at Valencia and forward to Spa.
"I would say that Valencia was a difficult weekend in the end but we could improve our performance. We see that if we put everything together we can be in the top 10 which is quite positive. We just need to keep pushing hard. We will have another small step on the car for this weekend, so hopefully we will be able to have a clean weekend without any mistakes or whatever. I am sure if we can put everything together we can finish around P10 or P8.
Some of Buemi’s optimism comes from looking at Red Bull Racing’s performance.
"Now it is nearly 11 races I have done in F1, so I am getting used to it. We will see what we can do. The circuit should be good for our car as we saw Red Bull performed really well in Silverstone. It was a fast circuit and it is again the case here, so we should be quite confident at the moment.
"I’m just looking forward to driving the circuit because it’s a beautiful circuit, it’s one of my favourites."
"I would say that Valencia was a difficult weekend in the end but we could improve our performance. We see that if we put everything together we can be in the top 10 which is quite positive. We just need to keep pushing hard. We will have another small step on the car for this weekend, so hopefully we will be able to have a clean weekend without any mistakes or whatever. I am sure if we can put everything together we can finish around P10 or P8.
Some of Buemi’s optimism comes from looking at Red Bull Racing’s performance.
"Now it is nearly 11 races I have done in F1, so I am getting used to it. We will see what we can do. The circuit should be good for our car as we saw Red Bull performed really well in Silverstone. It was a fast circuit and it is again the case here, so we should be quite confident at the moment.
"I’m just looking forward to driving the circuit because it’s a beautiful circuit, it’s one of my favourites."
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Toro Rosso looking for improvements at Spa
Disappointing is the only way to describe the outcome of the European Grand Prix for Scuderia Toro Rosso, with Sébastien sidelined with brake problems, after having to make an early stop to replace a nose and Jaime valiantly fighting on home turf despite the intense heat, which was more of a problem when his drink bottle system stopped delivering water with ten laps to go.
At least the Spaniard finished the race, gaining valuable experience now having completed all race laps in two grands prix.
Having had to deal with one race today, the mechanics immediately start another one, packing everything away in a rush to get the transporters on the road first thing tomorrow morning, for the long drive to Spa Francorchamps where we start all over again, when the green light comes on at the end of the pit lane for Friday morning’s free practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.
While Ferrari’s Luca Badoer came in for a lot of criticism this weekend, with people commenting he was too old to get the job done, Rubens Barrichello proved this sport isn’t all about the kids like our Seb and Jaime. The oldest man on the grid, the Brazilian drove a perfectly judged race to outpace the more fancied McLarens to claim his first win since his Ferrari days. Lewis Hamilton came second ahead of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. The remaining points went to fourth placed Heikki Kovalainen, then the order was Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Robert Kubica.
At least the Spaniard finished the race, gaining valuable experience now having completed all race laps in two grands prix.
Having had to deal with one race today, the mechanics immediately start another one, packing everything away in a rush to get the transporters on the road first thing tomorrow morning, for the long drive to Spa Francorchamps where we start all over again, when the green light comes on at the end of the pit lane for Friday morning’s free practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.
While Ferrari’s Luca Badoer came in for a lot of criticism this weekend, with people commenting he was too old to get the job done, Rubens Barrichello proved this sport isn’t all about the kids like our Seb and Jaime. The oldest man on the grid, the Brazilian drove a perfectly judged race to outpace the more fancied McLarens to claim his first win since his Ferrari days. Lewis Hamilton came second ahead of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. The remaining points went to fourth placed Heikki Kovalainen, then the order was Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Robert Kubica.
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Buemi frustrated with Q2 pace slump
Sebastian Buemi was disappointed to qualify only 15th for the European Grand Prix as he believes there was more potential in his Toro Rosso, after the car got slower following his progression into Q2.
After setting a strong sixth-quickest time to emphatically seal a place in the second qualifying stage, Buemi then unusually lapped 0.6s off his Q1 effort meaning he made no progress from the 15th spot he was already guaranteed.
Had the Swiss rookie simply matched his Q1 lap he would had qualified two places higher, furthermore he believes the top-10 was even possible had the team got more out of its tyres and made the usual improvement in time in the second session.
Nevertheless, given STR had struggled to progress into Q2 before he did so in Hungary, the Swiss youngster is pleased the team is on the up again.
“Even though I got into Q2, I’m a bit disappointed, because in Q1 I was sixth with a good lap time and then in Q2, we did not manage the tyre situation well, especially on my “out” lap and I ended up doing worse than in Q1.
“Now we must look at what happened, because I think I might even have had the possibility to get into Q3.
“We are making progress.”
New team-mate Jaime Alguersuari again failed to clear the back row in his second Formula 1 qualifying session after lapping a full second slower than Buemi in Q1, although he was sparred the slowest qualifying time by the helpless Luca Badoer.
Spain’s new hope, however, took comfort from the fact he was close to the pace of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota immediately ahead of him on the grid and now, while expecting the sweltering conditions to prove a test, is eyeing another solid race finish on Sunday.
“I know what I am capable of and with this being only my second F1 qualifying session, I have to be patient," he said.
“I am happy that even though this track is longer than at my first race in Hungary, the gap to the drivers ahead of me is getting smaller.
“I am feeling more confident in the car every time I drive it.
“It’s going to be tough tomorrow as it seems to be getting hotter and hotter.
“I think I can do a good job in the race, bring the car home and hopefully end up at least in the top 15.”
After setting a strong sixth-quickest time to emphatically seal a place in the second qualifying stage, Buemi then unusually lapped 0.6s off his Q1 effort meaning he made no progress from the 15th spot he was already guaranteed.
Had the Swiss rookie simply matched his Q1 lap he would had qualified two places higher, furthermore he believes the top-10 was even possible had the team got more out of its tyres and made the usual improvement in time in the second session.
Nevertheless, given STR had struggled to progress into Q2 before he did so in Hungary, the Swiss youngster is pleased the team is on the up again.
“Even though I got into Q2, I’m a bit disappointed, because in Q1 I was sixth with a good lap time and then in Q2, we did not manage the tyre situation well, especially on my “out” lap and I ended up doing worse than in Q1.
“Now we must look at what happened, because I think I might even have had the possibility to get into Q3.
“We are making progress.”
New team-mate Jaime Alguersuari again failed to clear the back row in his second Formula 1 qualifying session after lapping a full second slower than Buemi in Q1, although he was sparred the slowest qualifying time by the helpless Luca Badoer.
Spain’s new hope, however, took comfort from the fact he was close to the pace of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota immediately ahead of him on the grid and now, while expecting the sweltering conditions to prove a test, is eyeing another solid race finish on Sunday.
“I know what I am capable of and with this being only my second F1 qualifying session, I have to be patient," he said.
“I am happy that even though this track is longer than at my first race in Hungary, the gap to the drivers ahead of me is getting smaller.
“I am feeling more confident in the car every time I drive it.
“It’s going to be tough tomorrow as it seems to be getting hotter and hotter.
“I think I can do a good job in the race, bring the car home and hopefully end up at least in the top 15.”
Friday, 21 August 2009
European Grand Prix: Friday Practice
In the first practice session in Valencia, Séb recorded a best time of 1:43.389 (11th) over 30 laps, while Jaime’s was 1:43.637 (13th) over 30 laps. Leading the table was Brawn’s Barrichello with 1:42.460.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Alguersuari to improve race skills outside of Grand Prix
At just 19, and with just one Grand Prix under his belt, Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari is by far the least experienced driver on the Formula One grid. However, Alguersuari, who was promoted to the Italian team’s race seat after Sebastien Bourdais was released from his contract early, is determined he’ll continue to race as much as possible outside of the F1 calendar to hone his skills.
The Spaniard enjoyed an impressive debut at the Hungarian race last month, qualifying in 19th and finishing the Hungaroring race in 15th, ahead of team mate Sebastien Buemi. A week later he was back in the cockpit of his Formula Renault 3.5 car at Portugal’s Portimao track.
Driving for Carlin, as part of his Red Bull-backed young driver training programme, he took his first victory in the series from pole. In addition to his decision to continue in Formula Renault, when his Formula One schedule allows, Alguersuari has also announced he will take part in a karting championship in Italy next month.
“I will be competing in the KZI World Karting Championship in Sarno, Naples in September,” he explained. “I am only interested in learning, and learning to compete against the best. Portimao and Sarno mean the same to me, pitting myself against the best drivers right now.”
Alguersuari will be back competing against his Formula One rivals in Valencia next weekend, as the European Grand Prix gets underway in the Spanish city.
The Spaniard enjoyed an impressive debut at the Hungarian race last month, qualifying in 19th and finishing the Hungaroring race in 15th, ahead of team mate Sebastien Buemi. A week later he was back in the cockpit of his Formula Renault 3.5 car at Portugal’s Portimao track.
Driving for Carlin, as part of his Red Bull-backed young driver training programme, he took his first victory in the series from pole. In addition to his decision to continue in Formula Renault, when his Formula One schedule allows, Alguersuari has also announced he will take part in a karting championship in Italy next month.
“I will be competing in the KZI World Karting Championship in Sarno, Naples in September,” he explained. “I am only interested in learning, and learning to compete against the best. Portimao and Sarno mean the same to me, pitting myself against the best drivers right now.”
Alguersuari will be back competing against his Formula One rivals in Valencia next weekend, as the European Grand Prix gets underway in the Spanish city.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Monday, 10 August 2009
Toro Rosso - Track Record in Valencia
There’s not much history to Valencia, as it only made its debut on the F1 calendar last year.
Built on the back of Alonso fever, after the Spaniard won two world titles, it promised a lot in terms of the venue but delivered little in terms of racing excitement. As a street circuit, it was billed as Spain’s answer to Monaco, but in terms of glamour, mayhem and excitement it currently falls far short of its target, but then you can’t create a history spanning decades in a matter of months.
The paddock certainly caused a stir. The garages offer adequate space and the trucks, instead of being out in the open as at most races, are under cover in what used to be a fish market, so the whole area has the feel of a giant exhibition centre.
The motorhome area is separated from the garages by a block of buildings and this is the crowning glory of the new venue as it affords fabulous views of the harbour used for the Americas Cup sailing races, a sport even more riven with politics than F1.
Last year, the whole port area, although home to some fantastic and futuristic architecture, including museums and Europe’s biggest aquarium, was pretty much a building site and a fine layer of dust covered everyone and everything.
As for the track, it is 5.419 kilometres in length long and incorporates a total of 25 turns - 11 right-handers and 14 left-handers. Cars hit a top speed of around 320 km/h and the lap record is held by last year’s race winner, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in a time of 1:38.708.
Our Track Record in Valencia:
2008
Sebastian Vettel 6th
Sébastien Bourdais 10th
Built on the back of Alonso fever, after the Spaniard won two world titles, it promised a lot in terms of the venue but delivered little in terms of racing excitement. As a street circuit, it was billed as Spain’s answer to Monaco, but in terms of glamour, mayhem and excitement it currently falls far short of its target, but then you can’t create a history spanning decades in a matter of months.
The paddock certainly caused a stir. The garages offer adequate space and the trucks, instead of being out in the open as at most races, are under cover in what used to be a fish market, so the whole area has the feel of a giant exhibition centre.
The motorhome area is separated from the garages by a block of buildings and this is the crowning glory of the new venue as it affords fabulous views of the harbour used for the Americas Cup sailing races, a sport even more riven with politics than F1.
Last year, the whole port area, although home to some fantastic and futuristic architecture, including museums and Europe’s biggest aquarium, was pretty much a building site and a fine layer of dust covered everyone and everything.
As for the track, it is 5.419 kilometres in length long and incorporates a total of 25 turns - 11 right-handers and 14 left-handers. Cars hit a top speed of around 320 km/h and the lap record is held by last year’s race winner, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in a time of 1:38.708.
Our Track Record in Valencia:
2008
Sebastian Vettel 6th
Sébastien Bourdais 10th
Friday, 7 August 2009
From the Toro Rosso website
Looking at the positive, the general view in the paddock was that our new boy, Jaime Alguersuari would be a danger to others and when he proved over the two days of qualifying that was not the case, the next piece of accepted wisdom was that he wouldn’t be able to finish this physically demanding race, because his neck wouldn’t be strong enough to hold his head up for 70 laps. Wrong again. In short, Jaime ticked all the boxes this weekend, learning and improving with every lap of the track.
Naturally, as the newest and youngest kid on the block, he was the focus of media attention, but let’s not forget that his team-mate is not exactly the world’s most experienced F1 driver, with just ten F1 starts under his belt. He didn’t have a great day, not helped by debris damaging his front wing early on, but he is mature enough to admit to having made mistakes and that is not something racing drivers find easy to do!
We now have to wait four weeks to resume battle in Valencia and for two of those, the Formula One World Championship takes its first ever official holiday in its 59-year history. It’s going to be frustrating for the designers and engineers champing at the bit to carry on moving forward with the development of TR4, but at least their kids might recognise them now and their pets might not growl when they walk in the front door at home!
You’ll never guess who won? Lewis Hamilton. Yes, really, the reigning world champion produced a typically aggressive and faultless performance, making the most of his KERS at the start to go from fourth on the grid to second immediately after the start. It was the Englishman’s and McLaren’s first victory of the year and joining him on the podium were second placed Kimi Raikkonen, which must have been a great morale booster for Ferrari after Massa’s terrible accident in qualifying and third placed Mark Webber for our friends at Red Bull Racing.
Round 11 of the world championship takes place in Valencia and so yet again the media spotlight will fall on our Alguersuari, as one of two Spanish drivers on the grid. Before getting there, Jaime will probably be the only F1 driver to get some cockpit time, as he is competing in another round of the World Series by Renault at the Algarve circuit Portimao next weekend.
Naturally, as the newest and youngest kid on the block, he was the focus of media attention, but let’s not forget that his team-mate is not exactly the world’s most experienced F1 driver, with just ten F1 starts under his belt. He didn’t have a great day, not helped by debris damaging his front wing early on, but he is mature enough to admit to having made mistakes and that is not something racing drivers find easy to do!
We now have to wait four weeks to resume battle in Valencia and for two of those, the Formula One World Championship takes its first ever official holiday in its 59-year history. It’s going to be frustrating for the designers and engineers champing at the bit to carry on moving forward with the development of TR4, but at least their kids might recognise them now and their pets might not growl when they walk in the front door at home!
You’ll never guess who won? Lewis Hamilton. Yes, really, the reigning world champion produced a typically aggressive and faultless performance, making the most of his KERS at the start to go from fourth on the grid to second immediately after the start. It was the Englishman’s and McLaren’s first victory of the year and joining him on the podium were second placed Kimi Raikkonen, which must have been a great morale booster for Ferrari after Massa’s terrible accident in qualifying and third placed Mark Webber for our friends at Red Bull Racing.
Round 11 of the world championship takes place in Valencia and so yet again the media spotlight will fall on our Alguersuari, as one of two Spanish drivers on the grid. Before getting there, Jaime will probably be the only F1 driver to get some cockpit time, as he is competing in another round of the World Series by Renault at the Algarve circuit Portimao next weekend.
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Alguersuari treating GP as test
Formula 1's youngest ever rookie Jaime Alguersuari says that he will treat today's Hungarian Grand Prix as an extended test session, as he seeks to gain more track time for Scuderia Toro Rosso.
The 19-year-old Spaniard admitted after qualifying that he was still some way from his limit and that the 82 laps he completed during Friday's testing took a physical toll on him.
But the reigning British F3 champion added that he had been happy with his progress so far, despite an engine problem in qualifying relegating him to last on the grid.
"I feel free," said Alguersuari. "Free of charge and I feel this is testing. Tomorrow there are 19 cars which are racing and one that is testing, which is me. I have this philosophy.
"In qualifying I was not nervous because I knew what I could do. I knew if I was not doing a good enough job. I am learning. But I did a good job so I am happy."
By qualifying for the Hungarian GP, Alguersuari became the youngest person ever to do so, but he said this record was not important.
"It means nothing to be the youngest driver to drive F1 cars," he said. "It means a lot to be that close in the times, in means a lot to do a good performance, which with such a short time in the business is a good thing. Obviously being the youngest ever F1 driver, you can come here and crash at the first lap, it means nothing.
"I have reached my first target which was no mistakes through practice and qualifying, the next one is to finish the race. Then I want to keep making steps up until one day I hope to win the championship."
The 19-year-old Spaniard admitted after qualifying that he was still some way from his limit and that the 82 laps he completed during Friday's testing took a physical toll on him.
But the reigning British F3 champion added that he had been happy with his progress so far, despite an engine problem in qualifying relegating him to last on the grid.
"I feel free," said Alguersuari. "Free of charge and I feel this is testing. Tomorrow there are 19 cars which are racing and one that is testing, which is me. I have this philosophy.
"In qualifying I was not nervous because I knew what I could do. I knew if I was not doing a good enough job. I am learning. But I did a good job so I am happy."
By qualifying for the Hungarian GP, Alguersuari became the youngest person ever to do so, but he said this record was not important.
"It means nothing to be the youngest driver to drive F1 cars," he said. "It means a lot to be that close in the times, in means a lot to do a good performance, which with such a short time in the business is a good thing. Obviously being the youngest ever F1 driver, you can come here and crash at the first lap, it means nothing.
"I have reached my first target which was no mistakes through practice and qualifying, the next one is to finish the race. Then I want to keep making steps up until one day I hope to win the championship."
Friday, 24 July 2009
Alguersuari to prove himself
Formula One rookie Jaime Alguersuari goes into Friday’s two practice sessions in Hungary determined to prove that he deserves his place with Toro Rosso, after his arrival as Sebastien Bourdais’ replacement received a cautious welcome from his peers on Thursday.
The 19-year old Spaniard, whose name is pronounced ‘Heimi Al-gay-shuari’, raised a few eyebrows when he revealed that he has only done two straight-line tests in a Formula One car.
“To be honest, I have done just two aero tests,” he said. “For sure I am really happy to be here, to learn the car and learn a new situation but at the end it is just another car for me, another car in my racing career, in my life. I am very happy to drive and I am looking forward to it.
“I know this track. I raced here before. I am quite lucky for that. I know more or less all of the tracks in Europe but obviously the overseas ones I don’t know them really, like Japan, Singapore and Brazil, so for sure it is a good year to learn the tracks in Formula One as well."
He is the reigning British Formula Three champion, and the latest graduate from Red Bull’s young driver programme, but his peers are concerned that he has not actually done a full test session in a Formula One car.
“I started when I was 20,” said championship leader Jenson Button, “and I had done a fair bit of testing. It’s difficult, isn’t it? If you are offered an opportunity to race in F1, you are going to take it. But it could destroy his career if it goes badly. If it goes well, fantastic. But it’s a knife edge.”
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton agreed.
“When Juan Pablo Montoya left McLaren in 2006 there was a chance I would do the last three races but at that time I had only done straight-line running and that would have been the worst move of my career,” he said. “Before my debut I did eight solid tests. Formula One is difficult, and it takes preparation to build the confidence that you need to drive a car well.”
German Grand Prix winner Mark Webber was also sceptical. "I've never been a big fan of Formula One being a learning school but it seems like it is these days," the Australian said. "When you arrive in F1 you should be ready. It's not a place to learn. Anyway, some guys are doing that but it's harder without testing these days. I think we're going to see a bit more of it."
There was support from Alguersuari’s other Red Bull stablemate Sebastian Vettel, however, who made his Formula One debut at Indianapolis in 2007 aged 19. He blamed the system.
"I heard Mark was not so pleased about the fact that Jaime is driving this weekend," the German said. "I think in the end if there is anything to criticise then I think it is the rules. As you can see, you end up having a situation that a driver is entering F1 without having done a single test. So I think it is extremely difficult for young drivers, independent from their age, the next generation, to get to F1 as you have no chance to prove yourself. You have only one or two days.
"If you start skiing, you know how hard it is after one or two days to really know what is going on for instance. Therefore, I wish him all the best and I think he has enough time, but for sure it is not the easiest way to go.
"In the end you have to find your own way, and I think there is more than one person who gave him advice to just take his time. That is the most important thing. If he is really quick enough or not, you can't really tell by one race. It will come or it doesn't. Every other driver has made this experience in their own way."
The 19-year old Spaniard, whose name is pronounced ‘Heimi Al-gay-shuari’, raised a few eyebrows when he revealed that he has only done two straight-line tests in a Formula One car.
“To be honest, I have done just two aero tests,” he said. “For sure I am really happy to be here, to learn the car and learn a new situation but at the end it is just another car for me, another car in my racing career, in my life. I am very happy to drive and I am looking forward to it.
“I know this track. I raced here before. I am quite lucky for that. I know more or less all of the tracks in Europe but obviously the overseas ones I don’t know them really, like Japan, Singapore and Brazil, so for sure it is a good year to learn the tracks in Formula One as well."
He is the reigning British Formula Three champion, and the latest graduate from Red Bull’s young driver programme, but his peers are concerned that he has not actually done a full test session in a Formula One car.
“I started when I was 20,” said championship leader Jenson Button, “and I had done a fair bit of testing. It’s difficult, isn’t it? If you are offered an opportunity to race in F1, you are going to take it. But it could destroy his career if it goes badly. If it goes well, fantastic. But it’s a knife edge.”
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton agreed.
“When Juan Pablo Montoya left McLaren in 2006 there was a chance I would do the last three races but at that time I had only done straight-line running and that would have been the worst move of my career,” he said. “Before my debut I did eight solid tests. Formula One is difficult, and it takes preparation to build the confidence that you need to drive a car well.”
German Grand Prix winner Mark Webber was also sceptical. "I've never been a big fan of Formula One being a learning school but it seems like it is these days," the Australian said. "When you arrive in F1 you should be ready. It's not a place to learn. Anyway, some guys are doing that but it's harder without testing these days. I think we're going to see a bit more of it."
There was support from Alguersuari’s other Red Bull stablemate Sebastian Vettel, however, who made his Formula One debut at Indianapolis in 2007 aged 19. He blamed the system.
"I heard Mark was not so pleased about the fact that Jaime is driving this weekend," the German said. "I think in the end if there is anything to criticise then I think it is the rules. As you can see, you end up having a situation that a driver is entering F1 without having done a single test. So I think it is extremely difficult for young drivers, independent from their age, the next generation, to get to F1 as you have no chance to prove yourself. You have only one or two days.
"If you start skiing, you know how hard it is after one or two days to really know what is going on for instance. Therefore, I wish him all the best and I think he has enough time, but for sure it is not the easiest way to go.
"In the end you have to find your own way, and I think there is more than one person who gave him advice to just take his time. That is the most important thing. If he is really quick enough or not, you can't really tell by one race. It will come or it doesn't. Every other driver has made this experience in their own way."
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Ascanelli On The STR4’s Progress In 2009
In the run up to the race at the Hungaroring our Technical Director gives us his take on the season so far and tells us what we can look forward to in terms of car upgrades…
We seem to have slid to the back of the grid over the past few races. Why?
Giorgio Ascanelli: “There are several factors why our performance hasn’t matched up to what it was in the second half of last season. The first is that the drivers are very important and last year, Vettel matured enormously, getting over the difficult phase every young driver does, not understanding why he was fast or slow. A second factor was that last year, within the limits of our own capabilities, we went down a different route to Red Bull Racing, particularly with suspension and the braking system that was different to their car. The third point is that last year we were racing in an era where the technical rules had been more or less stable for a decade so performance levels flatten out, making it harder to come up with something new. This year, the pace of development has speeded up enormously and as a small team, we have been unable to keep up with that. Today, Red Bull for example is producing large steps forward in development on a monthly basis. We cannot do that as we don’t have the manpower. Furthermore, with a young and inexperienced driver like Buemi, when we do introduce changes, it is naturally harder for him to adapt to those changes.”
Is that a criticism of Buemi?
GA: “Absolutely not: to date, he has taken part in just nine grands prix and in four of those he retired early. Add in the fact there is no testing and he is getting very little time in the car. When a young driver first comes into F1, he is like a daredevil, taking risks, but as his understanding increases and he suffers a few set backs, it knocks his confidence which then has to be rebuilt. We cannot expect him to learn any faster: he is trying his best and doing a good job. Remember that when Vettel came to us, he had done one year as a third driver for BMW and had even taken part in one Grand Prix, but he could do no better than qualify eighteenth for us in his first race… in Hungary.”
We’ve been talking about this technical upgrade for weeks now. What is it?
GA: “In Hungary we have a major upgrade, which includes the floor, rear wing, rear wing endplates, a nose which has had to pass a new impact test, new brake ducts etc. – pretty much the whole damn lot! We’ve worked our hardest to get this modification package and to do it this year is much harder than the work we did last year.”
But don’t you just get all the new bits from Red Bull Technology in the UK?
GA: “There is a view that the only difference between our car and the Red Bull Racing one is the engine, but that is inaccurate. It involves the engine, gearbox, clutch, hydraulic system, water, oil and electrical systems; and all this on top of the actual aero parts in terms of bodywork. The further complication is that, although we have not run it, our car was designed so that it could incorporate the Ferrari KERS system and that is very different to the one used by Renault, around which the RB5 was designed. Therefore, we are not in a “cut and paste” situation when it came to getting the parts. It was not a case of getting a drawing from Red Bull Technology and simply manufacturing it. The two cars might look the same but if you try and fit the bodywork from one on the other, it would not fit. The rear suspension is also different because, in order to maintain the same wheelbase, it needed a different arrangement.”
Will it bring a performance advantage?
GA: “I will tell you once we’ve run it at the race track.”
If you had to situate our car in Hungary specification with Red Bull Racing’s development, where would it be?
GA: “It would be a package equivalent to the one they introduced at the British Grand Prix.”
Will it be good enough to score points?
GA: “That depends how far forward the other teams have gone, because nothing stays still in this sport. It’s not as simple as saying ‘last year we made a technical step forward for the second half of the year and performed well so the same thing will happen again.’ Last year, the Italian media was keen for me to puff out my chest and say ‘oh yes, I am very clever and I have managed to outperform our Red Bull cousins,’ but the simple answer about the end of last year is that Vettel is a great driver. I wasn’t a genius last year, but I don’t think I am an idiot this year!”
We seem to have slid to the back of the grid over the past few races. Why?
Giorgio Ascanelli: “There are several factors why our performance hasn’t matched up to what it was in the second half of last season. The first is that the drivers are very important and last year, Vettel matured enormously, getting over the difficult phase every young driver does, not understanding why he was fast or slow. A second factor was that last year, within the limits of our own capabilities, we went down a different route to Red Bull Racing, particularly with suspension and the braking system that was different to their car. The third point is that last year we were racing in an era where the technical rules had been more or less stable for a decade so performance levels flatten out, making it harder to come up with something new. This year, the pace of development has speeded up enormously and as a small team, we have been unable to keep up with that. Today, Red Bull for example is producing large steps forward in development on a monthly basis. We cannot do that as we don’t have the manpower. Furthermore, with a young and inexperienced driver like Buemi, when we do introduce changes, it is naturally harder for him to adapt to those changes.”
Is that a criticism of Buemi?
GA: “Absolutely not: to date, he has taken part in just nine grands prix and in four of those he retired early. Add in the fact there is no testing and he is getting very little time in the car. When a young driver first comes into F1, he is like a daredevil, taking risks, but as his understanding increases and he suffers a few set backs, it knocks his confidence which then has to be rebuilt. We cannot expect him to learn any faster: he is trying his best and doing a good job. Remember that when Vettel came to us, he had done one year as a third driver for BMW and had even taken part in one Grand Prix, but he could do no better than qualify eighteenth for us in his first race… in Hungary.”
We’ve been talking about this technical upgrade for weeks now. What is it?
GA: “In Hungary we have a major upgrade, which includes the floor, rear wing, rear wing endplates, a nose which has had to pass a new impact test, new brake ducts etc. – pretty much the whole damn lot! We’ve worked our hardest to get this modification package and to do it this year is much harder than the work we did last year.”
But don’t you just get all the new bits from Red Bull Technology in the UK?
GA: “There is a view that the only difference between our car and the Red Bull Racing one is the engine, but that is inaccurate. It involves the engine, gearbox, clutch, hydraulic system, water, oil and electrical systems; and all this on top of the actual aero parts in terms of bodywork. The further complication is that, although we have not run it, our car was designed so that it could incorporate the Ferrari KERS system and that is very different to the one used by Renault, around which the RB5 was designed. Therefore, we are not in a “cut and paste” situation when it came to getting the parts. It was not a case of getting a drawing from Red Bull Technology and simply manufacturing it. The two cars might look the same but if you try and fit the bodywork from one on the other, it would not fit. The rear suspension is also different because, in order to maintain the same wheelbase, it needed a different arrangement.”
Will it bring a performance advantage?
GA: “I will tell you once we’ve run it at the race track.”
If you had to situate our car in Hungary specification with Red Bull Racing’s development, where would it be?
GA: “It would be a package equivalent to the one they introduced at the British Grand Prix.”
Will it be good enough to score points?
GA: “That depends how far forward the other teams have gone, because nothing stays still in this sport. It’s not as simple as saying ‘last year we made a technical step forward for the second half of the year and performed well so the same thing will happen again.’ Last year, the Italian media was keen for me to puff out my chest and say ‘oh yes, I am very clever and I have managed to outperform our Red Bull cousins,’ but the simple answer about the end of last year is that Vettel is a great driver. I wasn’t a genius last year, but I don’t think I am an idiot this year!”
Alguersuari to Toro Rosso
Toro Rosso have announced that Red Bull reserve driver Jaime Alguersuari will race for the team at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix and for the rest of the 2009 season. Alguersuari replaces Sebastien Bourdais, who parted company with the Italian squad last week.
At 19, the Spaniard will become the youngest-ever driver in the 59-year history of the Formula One world championship when he takes to the track at Budapest’s Hungaroring.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula One,” he said. “Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid.
“I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula One is never easy, coming into Formula One in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
Born in Barcelona, Alguersuari is the reigning British Formula Three champion and was competing in the World Series by Renault championship this year before being called on to make his Formula One debut.
Over the past few years he as made his way through the ranks of Red Bull’s young driver programme and, as a result, already knows Sebastien Buemi, his new team mate at Toro Rosso, well.
Explaining his choice of driver, team principal Franz Tost said: “Red Bull’s stated aim for Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its young driver programme. We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
“I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban. But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula One environment.”
At 19, the Spaniard will become the youngest-ever driver in the 59-year history of the Formula One world championship when he takes to the track at Budapest’s Hungaroring.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula One,” he said. “Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid.
“I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula One is never easy, coming into Formula One in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
Born in Barcelona, Alguersuari is the reigning British Formula Three champion and was competing in the World Series by Renault championship this year before being called on to make his Formula One debut.
Over the past few years he as made his way through the ranks of Red Bull’s young driver programme and, as a result, already knows Sebastien Buemi, his new team mate at Toro Rosso, well.
Explaining his choice of driver, team principal Franz Tost said: “Red Bull’s stated aim for Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its young driver programme. We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
“I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban. But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula One environment.”
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Monday, 20 July 2009
Alguersuari claims Toro Rosso drive
Jaime Alguersuari will become the youngest Formula 1 driver in history in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix after Toro Rosso confirmed the young Spaniard as Sebastien Bourdais’ replacement on Monday morning.
The 19-year-old reigning British F3 champion had been expected to step up from his newly-held position as Red Bull’s reserve driver from the Hungaroring for several weeks following intense speculation over Bourdais’ future.
And after the Frenchman was officially dropped on Thursday, Alguersuari has now been given the nod to compete at the Hungaroring alongside fellow STR young gun Sebastien Buemi.
The delighted Spaniard acknowledges he faces a tough F1 baptism coming in during the middle of the season without any testing, but feels he is in the right environment to learn the ropes quickly.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula 1," Alguersuari said.
"Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid. "
"I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula 1 is never easy, coming into Formula 1 in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult.
"But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
STR team boss Franz Tost says Alguersuari was given the drive as he is currently the most mature driver on Red Bull's young driver books, adding that he expects it to take at least three races for the teenager to get fully up to speed.
“Red Bull’s stated aim for Scuderia Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its Young Driver Programme," he said.
"We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
"I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban.
"But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula 1 environment.”
Alguersuari – who claimed the title of the youngest ever British F3 champion last year – will succeed Mike Thackwell as F1’s youngest driver, the New Zealander having made his debut at 19 years, five months and 29 days in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix.
While Alguersuari was confirmed in the statement as simply the ‘new’ STR driver, it remains to be seen whether he will compete in all of the season’s remaining eight races.
World Rally legend Sebastien Loeb has been heavily linked to a drive for the final round of the campaign in Abu Dhabi on November 1.
Alguersuari’s promotion also means that Red Bull will have change its reserve driver for both of its Formula 1 teams for the third time this season, after also using Brendon Hartley and David Coulthard.
The 19-year-old reigning British F3 champion had been expected to step up from his newly-held position as Red Bull’s reserve driver from the Hungaroring for several weeks following intense speculation over Bourdais’ future.
And after the Frenchman was officially dropped on Thursday, Alguersuari has now been given the nod to compete at the Hungaroring alongside fellow STR young gun Sebastien Buemi.
The delighted Spaniard acknowledges he faces a tough F1 baptism coming in during the middle of the season without any testing, but feels he is in the right environment to learn the ropes quickly.
“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula 1," Alguersuari said.
"Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid. "
"I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula 1 is never easy, coming into Formula 1 in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult.
"But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”
STR team boss Franz Tost says Alguersuari was given the drive as he is currently the most mature driver on Red Bull's young driver books, adding that he expects it to take at least three races for the teenager to get fully up to speed.
“Red Bull’s stated aim for Scuderia Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its Young Driver Programme," he said.
"We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.
"I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban.
"But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula 1 environment.”
Alguersuari – who claimed the title of the youngest ever British F3 champion last year – will succeed Mike Thackwell as F1’s youngest driver, the New Zealander having made his debut at 19 years, five months and 29 days in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix.
While Alguersuari was confirmed in the statement as simply the ‘new’ STR driver, it remains to be seen whether he will compete in all of the season’s remaining eight races.
World Rally legend Sebastien Loeb has been heavily linked to a drive for the final round of the campaign in Abu Dhabi on November 1.
Alguersuari’s promotion also means that Red Bull will have change its reserve driver for both of its Formula 1 teams for the third time this season, after also using Brendon Hartley and David Coulthard.
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