Daniel Ricciardo has earned his big break in Formula One with the news that he has signed with Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2012 season.
It may not be as stunning as Michael Schumacher or Kimi Raikkonen announcing their return to Formula One, but Red Bull’s junior outfit axing both drivers ahead of the 2012 season is a major surprise.
Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari and Swiss Sebastien Buemi had occupied the seats since 2009, and it was believed, until now, that the pair would remain with the outfit for next season, with the former in particular delivering solid results in the second half of 2011.
Ricciardo, after half a season at HRT courtesy of Red Bull, becomes the second Australian in a full-time drive alongside Mark Webber, and will be joined at Toro Rosso by Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne, who showed promise at the Abu Dhabi young driver test in November.
The Australian was linked strongly to a drive at Caterham (previously Team Lotus), which makes the announcement even more surprising.
One thing is certain and that is that this decision reeks of Helmut Marko at his decisive, divisive best; reaffirming his status as Mr. Ruthless, with many sure to be angered by this decision – though the Austrian has clearly seen something in Ricciardo’s outings and Vergne’s test to make this move.
Marko clearly has designs on one of the pair slotting into the senior outfit sooner rather than later, having deduced that Alguersuari and Buemi weren’t up to the task, and thus we have wholesale change.
Complicating matters is that Red Bull’s “number two driver” Webber has stated his desire to continue racing beyond next season.
If the senior Australian enjoys an upturn in form in the next 12 months, the plan for Ricciardo, or Vergne, to make the move alongside Sebastian Vettel after a season with the junior team may have to be put on hold.
As for Alguersuari and Buemi, they now know the feeling of being cast out, and there aren’t too many options left at this time of the year, with all the front-runner and midfield seats locked in or soon to be announced.
One logical outcome which can’t be dismissed is that of Alguersuari essentially swapping seats with Ricciardo, and slotting into the Spanish HRT alongside countryman Pedro de la Rosa, which may not be an attractive notion, but it would keep him in a drive all the same.
There’s always Caterham, who haven’t confirmed or denied speculation about Jarno Trulli’s seat for 2012; clearly Tony Fernandes is dipping his feet in the pond, and with Ricciardo now safely locked in at Toro Rosso, Buemi wouldn’t be unwise to go looking there.
If worst comes to worst, a third driver role could become a viable option; the irony is that there could be an opening at Red Bull itself.
Meanwhile, the F1 fraternity awaits news at Williams and Force India, both linked in their decision process as the latter outfit decides whether to retain or regretfully depart with Adrian Sutil in favour of Nico Hulkenberg, who could also end up at either outfit depending on the line-up Vijay Mallya settles with.
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