All rights and copyright reserved to the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team ©
In an interview with Sky Sports F1 yesterday, Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne concedes that Daniel Ricciardo had the mental edge over him last year, but he feels he has proved himself this year.
The Frenchman’s Formula 1 future remains in doubt after Toro Rosso decided to sign 17-year-old Max Verstappen for the 2015 campaign. He may still be given a lifeline, though, after Daniil Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull following Sebastian Vettel’s departure.
However, just last year he was in the running for a Red Bull race seat, but the Red Bull Team decided to go with Ricciardo. In his interview with Sky Sports F1 yesterday, Vergne though feels he has improved since then. Vergne stated the following:-
‘I think the reason they picked up Daniel was because he was probably more ready mentally and he was probably doing less mistakes. This is all in the same set-up, you know, it was all in the head, and I improved myself this winter. I got a lot stronger: my performance in qualifying, which was weak last year, got a lot better as well, so I think I became a much better, complete driver.
‘The only problem is that there is no place in Red Bull; so if there was a free seat, they would probably consider for me to go there. I don’t want to say that – I don’t want to advance myself that much – but all I know is that they need to promote young drivers, they take me out and I don’t fit anywhere because there is simply no place in the Red Bull programme.’
For Vergne to admit that Red Bull was right to pick Ricciardo shows that he understands why he was picked for the drive and maybe they felt he wasn’t right mentally to be promoted. But it would seem that Vergne has taken this on board and motivated himself to improve as driver on the track and also mentally too. And this has been reflected in his performances this season.
But as Vergne points out, there is no space left in the Red Bull team due to his team mate Daniil Kvyat being promoted after Sebastian Vettel announced he was leaving the team at the end of the season. But Vergne understands that with young drivers being promoted through the Red Bull programme all the time, they might not be a space available for him and he may have to leave the programme if he wants to remain in Formula One.
Vergne’s chances of being back in favour at STR appear to be hampered by the fact that Toro Rosso has a policy of keeping drivers for only three years before they have to make way youngsters. Further on in his interview yesterday, Vergne says he is open to switching to motorsport categories. Vergne added the following:-
‘You have be ambitious or otherwise you go nowhere in life. So of course I am. But I’m realistic. I know I’m not going to talk to Mercedes and say, ‘Please, I want a seat for next year’. You need to prove yourself, win races. I mean, it’s how Formula 1 works: big teams, they want superstars because it’s good for marketing and because they are good drivers and it’s good for the image.
‘But if you want to become a superstar for the big teams to want you, you need to be in a big team to win races. But how do you do that if you’re not a superstar? You know what I mean.’
As Vergne quite rightly says, as a racing driver you want to take the best chance you have at your disposal but he is realistic about what options he has in front of him. Vergne knows that his performances on track will decide which team could offer him a drive for next season and he knows that is what he will be judged on to remain in Formula One.
As for the ‘superstar’ theory that Vergne proposes in his interview, you can understand why teams choose drivers that fit that in regards to marketing issues etc. But as for Vergne, he has the potential to be that but he hasn’t had the car underneath him to gain the results that could put him into that category.
But overall, Vergne to me has developed as a driver this season and has been unfortunate that he hasn’t had the chance to show what he can do in the STR9 this season through no fault of his own. His performances in the second half of the season especially has highlighted that he is more than talented enough to remain in the sport next season and he deserves to stay.
But the question is; will Vergne stay in Formula One? I believe that he will and it won’t be with Toro Rosso or the Red Bull programme either. I see him in the sport with Sauber next season, I really do.
