Monthly Archives: August 2014

Red Bull has confirmed that Max Verstappen will drive for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2015.

He will partner Daniil Kvyat, which means that Jean-Eric Vergne will be out of a job.

Verstappen’s father Jos raced in F1 from 1994 to 2003, competing in 106 GPs. His mother Sophie Kumpen was a karting star in her own right.

The Belgian-born Dutchman, who turns 17 on September 30, was signed as Red Bull junior driver only last week, having turned down overtures from Mercedes. He is currently lying second in the European F3 series in his first season in car racing.

He said: “Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true.”

Team boss Franz Tost said: “We consider Max to be as one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully. This year he has already demonstrated how well he can cope under difficult conditions. For example, at the Norisring and Nürburgring, he showed extraordinary determination and the ability to withstand pressure before going on to win. Bearing in mind that Scuderia Toro Rosso was created with the aim of bringing young talent from the Red Bull Junior Team into Formula 1 and to educate them, it will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive car, which will enable him to have the best possible start to his Formula 1 career.

“With this in mind, I would also like to thank Jean-Eric Vergne for all his hard work. He has produced strong performances, but unfortunately he was also hindered by some reliability problems, especially in the first half of the current season. We hope that we have resolved these problems and that he will be able to end the second half of this season on a high note and thereby show that he still deserves another opportunity in Formula 1.”

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has played down suggestions of any driver changes at the Maranello team for 2015.

Fernando Alonso is rumoured to be exploring other options as he searches for a competitive package, while inevitably there are question marks over Kimi Raikkonen after his disappointing season.

“We are lucky to have two great champions, who are working with the whole team to get back to being competitive again,” Montezemolo said on the Ferrari website. “Of course, as is the case every summer, there is unfounded gossip about alleged problems with senseless rumours bandied about, such as the ones relating to Alonso’s contract or those of drivers’ salaries. We know that the summer heat always produces silly stories.

“Our drivers must now relax in order to return in top form. The season is still long and we need Fernando and Kimi to be in great shape. And on the subject of Kimi, I wish him all the best as he is soon to become a dad.”

Meanwhile do Montezemolo insisted that changes instigated by team principal Marco Mattiacci will pay off.

“We are making in-depth changes on both the organizational side, in our approach and culture. We have taken important decisions and have made significant progress, even if, at the moment, the results of all this work are not always visible. The aim is to get back to being as competitive as we were before in the shortest possible time, while at the same time putting everything in place so that we can embark on another winning cycle.

“As for our sport in general, we are pleased to see that all the major players share the views we first put forward regarding the need to revamp Formula 1. We have proposals aimed specifically at improving the show, starting with more straightforward regulations, which put the spectators first, especially the younger generation.”