Ricciardo to Caterham, Toro Rosso to remain unchanged
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| Daniel Ricciardo |
Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that Toro Rosso will most likely retain Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi in 2012, with the pair seemingly doing enough to convince Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko of their pace in the latter half of the year.
Ricciardo was drafted in to replace HRT’s Narain Karthikeyan from the British Grand Prix onwards, impressing many and regularly outpacing team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi.
"At the moment it seems like Toro Rosso is going to stay with who they've got," Ricciardo is quoted as saying by The West Australian. "It wasn't put down 100 per cent, but it was the wording I was making out.
"There's a good chance if I'm on the grid next year it's going to be with another non-Red Bull outfit, but I guess the good news is I'm still contracted by Red Bull. They've agreed to continue with me."
Ricciardo also discussed a potential move to Caterham F1, having been linked to the squad after Jarno Trulli’s challenging campaign alongside Heikki Kovalainen.
"I would like to say there's a chance, but at least for me that's probably all it is for now, just a chance," he added. "It would be a step up from this year, so it's not really a bad thing. I doubt they'll still be able to fight for points next year. They'll still be towards the further end, but I think they're progressing well.
"If Kovalainen was to be my teammate, it's someone very good to measure up to. He's won a Grand Prix before and he's smashed Trulli this year."
We have updated our 2012 F1 Silly Season page accordingly.
11/28/11 Daniel Ricciardo has been linked with a move to what becomes Team Caterham for next year, with his Red Bull chiefs keen to see him continue racing in 2012.
As Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko weighs up what to do with the company's young drivers, AUTOSPORT has learned that one possibility being considered is for Ricciardo to switch to the squad presently known as Team Lotus if the outfit decides not to retain Jarno Trulli.
Although no final decision has been made, there is a growing likelihood that the energy drinks manufacturer could elect to keep both its Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari for another year – with Jean-Eric Vergne taking a reserve driver role at the Faenza-based outfit.
If that happens, it would mean another berth elsewhere needing to be found for Ricciardo, with it unlikely that he will continue his current HRT deal.
Marko, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and Team Lotus/Caterham boss Tony Fernandes are understood to have held talks over the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend to discuss the idea of Ricciardo being slotted into Trulli's current seat. More at Autosport