Following our look at drivers who graduated into Red Bull and where they are now, we turn our attention to those who reached Toro Rosso but not Red Bull’s senior team.
Eight drivers have successfully made the complete graduation through Red Bull’s Junior programme into the senior team of which seven drove for Toro Rosso en route, so we now take a look at the journeys of those who reached Toro Rosso but failed to break through into Red Bull’s senior team.
From flops like Scott Speed to serving as launchpads for others like Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso have produced plenty of contrasting talent, as we take a look at all six Toro Rosso graduates to have come through the Red Bull programme and since moved on to new ventures.
Scott Speed (2006-07)
Scott Speed enjoyed a successful junior career including two Formula Renault 2000 titles in 2004 plus acted as Red Bull’s Test Driver in 2005, which was rewarded with a race seat at Toro Rosso for 2006.
He however endured a poor rookie season which yielded zero points and failed to improve during the opening ten rounds of 2007 campaign, consequently forcing Red Bull to release him from his contract ahead of Hungary and replaced Speed with future four-time champion – Vettel.
Speed soon found a drive in NASCAR and participated in 2008 ARCA Re/Max where he controversially blew a title chance by driving into rival – Ricky Stenhouse Jr after the latter had punted him into the wall just laps earlier.
After six seasons in NASCAR, Speed switched focus to Global Rallycross where he became a three-time champion between 2015-17, before winning the American Rallycross in 2018.
Speed also participated in four rounds of Formula E’s maiden season in 2015 where he finished second on debut in Miami, but was soon replaced by Justin Wilson after three further races.
2019 saw Speed’s American Rallycross title defence ended after a vertebrae fracture during 2019 Nitro Games kept him out of the final two rounds, with the American having not raced competitively on track since despite participating in virtual IndyCar racing during lockdown.
Jaime Alguersuari (2009-11)
Jaime Alguersuari arrived in F1 in mid 2009 off the back of a solid junior career including 2008 British F3 title, as he replaced Sebastien Bourdais at Toro Rosso after the Frenchman was dropped following poor results.
Alguersuari’s half rookie season however saw him retire from five of eight races but he was retained for 2010, where he showed progress with five points before finding form in middle of 2011 with seven points finishes in 11 races to collect 26 points overall.
Red Bull however chose to replace Alguersuari at Toro Rosso with an all-new driver lineup, forcing the Spaniard into a two-year sabbatical ahead of returning in GT Masters in 2014, whilst also driving in nine Formula E races across 2014-15.
By October 2015, Alguersuari announced that he had “fallen out of love” with motorsport and has since focused on his DJ and music producer career in Spain.
Sebastien Buemi (2009-11)
Sebastien Buemi arrived in F1 with Toro Rosso in 2009 after a solid junior career in which he finished vice-champion in four different series between 2005-08, prior to taking up his F1 seat initially alongside Bourdais.
In his rookie season, Buemi achieved six points from 17 races including on debut in Melbourne, Australia, as he then went on to collect 23 points from 11 top ten finishes in 38 races across 2010-11 seasons only to be dropped at end of latter season.
Red Bull however kept Buemi within their programme as their F1 Test and Reserve Driver from 2012-20 seasons, alongside his World Endurance programme with Toyota in which he was part of their 2014 then 2018-19 winning teams on top of victories in each of the last three 24 Hours of Le Mans events.
Buemi also has gone on to race in Formula E for e.DAMS since the series inauguration in autumn 2014, completing all six seasons within the top four overall including title success in 2015-16 season, alongside finishing as Formula E vice champions in 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2018-19 campaigns.
2021 will see Buemi continue in Formula E for a seventh consecutive season at e.DAMS whilst also continuing in World Endurance with Toyota as well.
Jean-Eric Vergne (2012-14)
Jean-Eric Vergne won Red Bull’s backing in 2008 after a successful debut single-seater season in 2007 in Formula Campus Renault, going on to finish as Vice-Champion in three Formula Renault categories across 2009-11 either side of a claiming a successful 2010 title in British F3.
Vergne eventually secured a Toro Rosso drive alongside fellow then Red Bull junior – Daniel Ricciardo for 2012, scoring 29 points across their two seasons together which was just one point less than Ricciardo’s total as the Aussie was selected for a promotion to Red Bull in 2014.
Another opportunity for a promotion to Red Bull however passed Vergne by despite bettering Daniil Kvyat by 14 points at end of the 2014 season, with the Frenchman instead finding himself dropped by Toro Rosso and F1.
Formula E however soon came calling for Vergne who spent his first three seasons in the series at three different teams, before securing consecutive titles from 2017-19 with DS Techeetah of who he still races for as he prepares for the new season.
Vergne also attempted a full 2017 season in World Endurance with Manor Racing but could only finish tenth overall, whilst four appearances at Le Mans has brought a highest finish of seventh in 2017.
Carlos Sainz Jr (2015-17)
Carlos Sainz Jr secured Red Bull’s backing in 2010 whilst racing in European and Pacific Formula BMW categories, going on to enjoy a solid junior career as he won 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 Series followed by 2014 Formula Renault 3.0 season after spells in various F3 and GP3 categories between 2012-13.
2015 eventually saw Sainz handed his F1 chance as he joined Toro Rosso where he enjoyed a solid rookie season in 15th place, before showing massive improvement the following season with 46 points to finish 12th overall despite having a change of teammate mid-season.
Sainz soon kicked on in his improvement to finish ninth in 2017 with 54 points as he secured a late season switch to Renault where his consistency continued to develop throughout 2018 on loan, earning him a move away from the Red Bull programme as he joined McLaren in 2019.
That move however proved the making of Sainz as his reputation and consistency grew even further with sixth-placed finish in 2019 plus maiden podium of third at the Brazilian Grand Prix that season.
2020 then saw Sainz once again finish sixth in the standings as he delivered his first second-placed finish in a dramatic Italian Grand Prix, as he once again outshone Lando Norris on race performance despite the qualifying battle the way of the Brit by just one Qualifying session in both seasons.
Sainz however entered the delayed 2020 season assured of his 2021 drive after agreeing a deal to replace ex fellow Red Bull Junior – Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari for the upcoming season, partnering Charles Leclerc at Maranello.
Brendon Hartley (2017-18)
Brendon Hartley has had the most interesting experience out of all Toro Rosso graduates from the Red Bull programme, having initially received backing from 2006-10 in which he won 2007 Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and was Reserve Driver for both Red Bull and Toro Rosso in 2009 & 10 seasons.
Hartley though was dropped midway through 2010 due to poor results in Formula Renault, but received a F1 run out with Mercedes in September 2012 as part of a F1 Young Drivers test, whilst conducting simulator work for the Silver Arrows.
2011-12 saw Hartley briefly race in GP2 with Ocean Racing Technology to no success, whilst also conducting an European Le Mans campaign in the latter season where he also made his Le Mans bow.
2013 saw Hartley stay in European Le Mans before joining FIA World Endurance in 2014 with Porsche where he was part of their title winning team in 2015 & 17, of which he also won 24 Hours of Le Mans in the latter campaign.
2017 also saw Hartley unexpectedly handed a reprieve by Red Bull as they handed him a Toro Rosso seat for the US GP, only to then stay for rest of that season and the 2018 campaign where he struggled to four points which saw him again dropped with Alex Albon graduating from F2 to replace him in 2019.
Hartley therefore returned to FIA World Endurance with Toyota where he and his teammates finished as Vice-Champions, before winning the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans to clinch his second win at the iconic race.
Outside of World Endurance, Hartley tried his hand at Formula E with GEOX Dragon in 2019-20 season, only participating in the opening five rounds where he struggled to a 23rd-placed finish, whilst also spending 2019 as a Development Driver for Ferrari.
2021 sees Hartley race in World Endurance for Toyota alongside Buemi as teammates in the second of Toyota’s two teams in the series.
Leave a Reply