Australian F1 rookie driver Daniel Ricciardo has been confirmed as a permanent driver for the Toro Rosso team (Red Bull second team) for the 2012 Formula 1 World Championship after driving the second half of the 2011 season with Hispania Racing Team (HRT).
His team-mate will be Jean-Eric Vergne, with the two drivers replacing Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi and Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari who drove for Torro Rosso last season.
The Perth-based 22 year old, Daniel Ricciardo drove for Toro Rosso during Friday’s free practice sessions at last season’s races in the early part of the 2011 campaign, before loaned out to HRT in the latter part of the season.
“This is a really big deal for me, I am still jumping up and down with excitement at the news. In the second half of 2011, I learned a lot from the people I worked with, racing in 11 Grands Prix and I want to thank them for the opportunity they gave me. I have to say that joining Scuderia Toro Rosso was always my real goal, so a big thank you to Red Bull for giving me this fantastic opportunity…” said the Australian.
French driver Jean-Eric Vergne, 21, drove for Toro Rosso in practice at three of the last four Grands Prix of the 2011 season and has shown enough promise and talent to be given a permanent drive alongside Ricciardo in 2012.
The Scuderia Toro Rosso was first established in 2005 with the intention of providing a first step into Formula 1 for young guns in the Red Bull driver program and is considered a training ground for future Red Bull Racing Team world championship drivers.