• Toro Rosso news

Vergne not concerned about Toro Rosso future

Jean-Eric Vergne: "I already showed last year with the car I had and we did some good races" © Sutton Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• Drivers:
• Jean-Éric Vergne

• Teams:
• Toro Rosso

Jean-Eric Vergne insists he is not worried about facing the same fate as his predecessors at Toro Rosso, Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, as he enters his second year with the team.

Vergne joined Toro Rosso alongside Daniel Ricciardo last year, ousting incumbents Alguersuari and Buemi in the process. But Vergne is not letting Toro Rosso's previous cut-throat policy towards its drivers play on his mind.

"I'm not too worried about this," he said. "I trust in myself and if I have the performance I can do something good. I already showed last year with the car I had and we did some good races I would say. This year we definitely have a better car compared to last year's one and I am a better driver with more experience. Therefore, those two combined, will ultimately give us better results I would say."

Among Red Bull's latest crop of junior drivers, Antonio Felix da Costa appears to be next in line for a possible promotion to F1 after winning races in both Formula Renault 3.5 and GP3 last year and being picked to drive a Red Bull at the Young Driver Test. But Vergne is more focused on his own promotion to the senior Red Bull team than the concern of being left without a drive.

"I don't see any problems in this, it's the way Red Bull works," he said. "I've been in the same position as Antonio - he is a good driver and if he does a good job he deserves a seat in F1. But following the policy of Red Bull, if one of us - Daniel or myself - is good enough to be one day in Red Bull that will leave a free seat in Toro Rosso and that might be for him [Felix da Costa]. Everybody has to deserve a seat in Formula One and the best team in Formula One will have world champions, so you always have to perform. In any case, I'm not here just to be in F1 and garnish the field, I have objectives and I want to succeed. So the pressure is only from me."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.