Having Their Say
Sebastien Buemi
By Andrew Cutler
February 28 2012
When the main purpose of your team's existance is the search for and developement of driving talent that will, hopefully, be ready to step up to your sister team when called upon, you have to make some hard choices that can make - or break - a young driver's career.
The hardest, no doubt, is deciding when to say; "We don't think that you've got what it takes and we're going to try out someone else". That is the call that Scuderia Toro Rosso made over the soon-to-be past off-season, releasing Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari after three and two and one half seasons respectively.
Alguersuari was the first to speak out about being dropped, telling reporters that he had turned away offers to move to Williams and HRT after having been assured that his seat at STR was secure. "I was verbally confirmed during the Brazilian GP. Hence, being confirmed by Red Bull and STR, I rejected a very good offer." It was'nt until mid December, too late to find another ride according to the Spainard, that he got the bad news in a phone call.
“Neither I nor anyone else will ever understand why, having largely fulfilled all expectations that the team asked for, having improved my position from 2010 and having beaten my team-mate, I was ceased on December 14th when there was no reaction time to have a good option to run in 2012.”
While without a GP day ride for 2012, Sebastien Buemi has managed to stay on within the greater Red Bull F1 family, landing the test driver gig for RBR. Thus he has naturally been more circumspect in his comments about being dismissed by STR. One thing that has annoyed him, however, is the way that - to his mind, at least - STR keeps runnnig both him and Alguersuari down in the press. Buemi is especially upset by how he feels that Franz Tost is merely repeating Helmut Marko's criticisms of them verbatim.
“After we were put out, Alguersuari and I said not a single bad word about Toro Rosso, we were always loyal," he told Swiss newspaper Blick, “I am amazed that from the boss there comes suddenly such negative comments.”
Only time will tell if Buemi and Alguersuari have had a red flag thrown on thier F1 dreams - or merely hit a bump the track.
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Building them up to only have the rug pulled from beneath them as they begin to get beyond the teething stage doesn't seem quite cricket. They could have kept the best performer and used his experience to go after additional points rather than starting two new guys from scratch. Just an opinion.
sessions
Quote:IndyAndy
STR has a pretty unique dilema IMO. They are supposed to keep developing fresh talent - hopefully for RBR. The 'problem' comes when there is no prospect of an open seat at RBR anytime soon. How long do you keep holding on to the drivers you had last year instead of taking a chance that you have time to bring someone new along who might prove to be even better?
Is it a surprise neither of the aforementioned drivers have a ride for 2012?
"When you talk, you are repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new." - Dalai Lama
something must have been clear to them that has not been not fully explained in the public arena. the RB development costs of both of these drivers would have been substantial over the years and they would not throw away their investment lightly.
yes, they appear to have been dumped unceremoniously but i do wonder what they know that we don't.
Quote:Whitey*~@
Its not rocket science Vergne and Ricciardo are just better than Buemi and Alguersuari.
All that we know for now is that STR is certianly hoping that they will be!
