Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team, Peter Fox and Getty Images ©
In an interview with Autosport yesterday, Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne feels Toro Rosso should retain him for another season, adamant he’s the best person for Max Verstappen to learn from.
At the beginning of this month, Vergne believed his Toro Rosso career was over as Daniil Kvyat was set to partner newcomer Max Verstappen.
However, Sebastian Vettel’s announcement that he is leaving Red Bull was followed by the team confirming Kvyat will step up. Now with Toro Rosso a driver short, Vergne is hoping he can keep his seat.
In his interview with Autosport yesterday, Vergne stated the following on why he should be retained for next season:-
‘There are a lot of benefits [to keeping me]. They [Red Bull] see Max as a great talent and I think he can learn from me like Dani did this year. I think it’s a win-win for everybody.
‘To be fair everything is pretty open for next year and I cannot say really what is going on, but all I can say is I wish to continue with this team and we will see what happens in the next few days and weeks.’
I agree with Vergne that there are a lot of benefits if he stayed with Toro Rosso next season. This would be pretty handy given his experience with the team and also in the sport which would help Verstappen during his rookie season get to grips with the sport.
But it is clear with the announcement that Vettel is potentially going to Ferrari next season, the situation remains unclear with Vergne and Toro Rosso for 2015 and all he can do is wait and see what happens in the next few weeks.
However, he believes it is not just Verstappen who would benefit by him staying on for a fourth year. Further on in his interview, he believes that it will be the best decision if he is retained next season. Vergne added the following:-
‘I think it [retaining me] is the best option for the team and myself. We’ve built up Toro Rosso [together]. When I arrived they had a brand new team with a new technical director, a lot of new people, and the plan was in a few years to be really one of the top midfield teams.
‘We’re getting there, and I think it will be really important for all of us that we keep going. This year we lost so many points with the retirements I had. If next year I don’t have the retirements and get a better car, we will be in a really strong position. I think we can be a really strong team next year if we keep going together.’
Of course Vergne wants to remain with Toro Rosso for next season and it would make sense and he does deserve to be there. He has helped Toro Rosso build up to the position that they are currently in and also the team have helped Vergne along the way too. And as Vergne says, they are getting there and they need to keep going in the direction that they have been and Vergne believes that next year will be stronger for the team if he stays with them.
These two questions are crucial for me; why was Vergne not retained in the first place? Why did Toro Rosso get rid of Vergne in the manner that they did? To answer them both, Vergne just didn’t perform in the Toro Rosso when he should have, even if he suffered bad luck. And secondly, I don’t know why they announced his departure the way that they did but it wouldn’t have been pleasant for Vergne in any case.
For me, I would understand why Vergne wants to be retained by Toro Rosso, especially with the driver market rapidly changing and increasing all the time and this is his best option for sure to be racing in 2015. But for me, the manner that Toro Rosso announced his departure has to be playing in the back of Vergne’s mind. Because if Vergne is retained for next season and things don’t improve for him, who is to say that Toro Rosso won’t do the same thing to him again?
But that is the calculated risk that Vergne has to weigh up and take if he wants to, provided there are no other possible solutions or options for 2015. Let us not forget that there are young drivers in the Red Bull programme such as Carlos Sainz Jr who are also looking for a chance to race for the Toro Rosso team in 2015 and will grab the chance as well if it is given to them.
And Vergne has said himself that competition is fierce for race seats in Formula One over the past few weeks and he is realistic about his options going forward for next season. But if Vergne is retained, he has to ensure that he delivers on the track and show his doubters wrong in the process. But all we can do is wait and see what happens in the next few weeks regarding Vergne’s future.
