Buemi Has Toro Rosso Seat Fitting as Team Look to Finalise 2019 Lineup

[Paul Jeffrey]

Former Grand Prix Sebastien Buemi has had a seat fitting at Toro Rosso, fuelling rumours that the Swiss driver could be about to make a surprise return to the sport...

With no eligible Red Bull junior driver in a position to step up and replace the outgoing Pierre Gasly, and Brendon Hartley failing to make much of an impact in his first season with the team, it looks like former driver, and current WEC and Formula E competitor Sebastian Buemi is the latest former driver to be connected with the small Italian squad.

Having had a promising Grand Prix career cut short at the end of the 2011 season, losing his seat at the team and moving over to forge what has been a highly successful World Endurance Championship and Formula E career, it appears as though the now 29-year-old could be in line for a very surprising comeback with his former team, having spent time earlier this week at the Toro Rosso factory having a seat fitting with the outfit.

Buemi joins a long list of drivers vying for a drive with the team next year, with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko suggesting that as many as 10 drivers are under consideration for the squad heading into the 2019 season.

Up to this point it has been understood that Daniil Kvyat is favourite to land a drive with the squad to replace Gasly, however with a so far underwhelming 2018 campaign from Brendon Hartley, it remains a very real possibility that the team could be looking for not one but two new drivers in the year ahead, giving rise to the possibility that Toro Rosso could well field two former drivers making a return to the sport in 2019.

With a seat fitting at the team now complete for Buemi, who still holds a reserve driver role at sister outfit Red Bull alongside is other racing commitments, it will be interesting to see if the Swiss gets an opportunity during any of the remaining seven FP1 sessions of the current year.

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Do you think Buemi deserves another shot at Formula One? Who would you pick to drive for the team in 2019? Let us know in the comments section below!​

 

[MoerasGrizzly]

Look at that big, stupid grin he has, it's great

 

[Knoxstar]

It honestly never dawned on me. How about a test with all the rejected, turfed out former Red Bull/Toro Rosso drivers? Anybody up to making out the list for the invitations?

 

[Bonabird]

It honestly never dawned on me. How about a test with all the rejected, turfed out former Red Bull/Toro Rosso drivers? Anybody up to making out the list for the invitations?

Brilliant idea! They have to make a big show out of this. Just image da Costa, Vergne, Buemi, Albon, Sette Camara, Kari and Kvyat in a shootout.

 

[Nick Hill]

Didn't Buemi already have his shot in F1 and prove himself to be a pretty uninspired talent?

Sorry, I don't mean to be harsh, but this is supposed to be F1. I would rather see Torro Rosso not run the car than to put some retread in that seat.

 

[samcar304]

I'd still take Stoffel over old Red Bull academy drivers or anyone else. He has current F1 experience with tires and how the car works. Not to mention he is similar with the Honda engine architecture and how they operate and develop. Plus i imagine being in an environment that promotes development would suit him considering how much he tried to help out at McLaren but the team was so focused on giving Alonso all the time and resources.

 

[michelforest]

I'd rather have Buemi back than Kvyat. Buemi was outstanding in FE and I think he is worthy of a second chance. He or Vergne deserve a seat in F1. A shame Ocon has to make way for Stroll at Force India.

 

[falster]

I cant stand the guy, he gave off the impression in formula e that he thought he was some kind of deity, and had a really sh***y attitude.

never really rated him in F1 and I didn't think many others did either

I guess I was wrong

 

[paracletus]

F1 is very cut-throat and judgemental these days (personality contest, rather than skill) for many.
I blame social media and forums for that.

Offer seat to Raikonen first - doubt he'd take that though.

All these "newby" drivers will obviously have to pay considerable coin.
I'd give Kivyat another shot - must have some talent, as he scored more points than Ricardo in 2015 fair-and-square.

 

[ThatAudiFan]

I cant stand the guy, he gave off the impression in formula e that he thought he was some kind of deity, and had a really sh***y attitude.

never really rated him in F1 and I didn't think many others did either

I guess I was wrong

His attitude is what has been bothering me for a few years now...
Don't get me wrong, he has been an outstanding driver in FE (although e-Dams had a very strong car), but his attitude just takes away from his performances.

Curious to see if he will really get back into F1, and how he will perform. Previously I didn't really rate him either, mostly still remember him from the China 2010 wheel explosion

I'm still hoping to see Jake Dennis get a shot at it

 

[ke5ke1en50]

Vandoorne did not think Honda was bad, We should welcome Vandoorne again.

 

[pcraenme]

Red Bull does not seem to have any young talent that is good enough for F1. In the meanwhile Ocon seems to become the victim of daddy Stroll buying Force India and a real F1 talent won’t have a seat for next year. Ocon cannot move to Williams since Kubica will get Stroll’s seat next year (seems to be in his contract) and a move to Torro Rosso is not possible since Ocon is a ‘Mercedes’ driver. So we have two old F1 drivers back next year and new young talent is ‘kicked out’. This is a bad development if you ask me.

 

[BrettSinclair1]

I've thought this for years, but it slowly becomes apparent that Red Bull have no idea about the quality of their drivers, and threat them accordingly.

 

[jpalesi]

Yeah, they threated their drivers like sh!t for years, they knew that for one driver fired, they had 2 or 3 waiting.
But exactly like RB trashed Renault left right and center, and they had enough, now the young drivers go to Ferrari, Mercedes or Renault driver programs, and all Red Bull has left are decade old rejects that apparently are asking for more Red Bull crap. I find the situation very amusing.

 

[keto95]

Horner and Marko are the kind of guys who laugh at their driver's face and stab a knife at their back as soon as they turn around. I wish Buemi the best of luck, but if I were in his shoes I would have told RedBull kindly to look for someone else. RedBull is really desperate.

 

[apex11]

Didn't Buemi already have his shot in F1 and prove himself to be a pretty uninspired talent?

Sorry, I don't mean to be harsh, but this is supposed to be F1. I would rather see Torro Rosso not run the car than to put some retread in that seat.

What exactly is F1 really 'supposed to be..' anyway?
A place where a billionaire can fast track his 18 year old kid into it?
A place where unless you have the best car you can't do ****?

F1 is really supposed to be about the battle of the constructors to make the best car..... it's the fans that make it about the drivers....

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Albon - Cassidy would be a way more inspired lineup.

 

[Nick Hill]

What exactly is F1 really 'supposed to be..' anyway?
A place where a billionaire can fast track his 18 year old kid into it?
A place where unless you have the best car you can't do ****?

F1 is really supposed to be about the battle of the constructors to make the best car..... it's the fans that make it about the drivers....

I have to respectfully disagree. My own personal experience being around the sport is that, with the notable exception of Ferrari fans, the vast majority of F1 fans are almost entirely focused on the drivers championship.

It would personally be a big turn off for me to think of the drivers as just being stewards of the car on behalf of the team (sort of like having your neighbor come by to feed the cat while you're away for the weekend!)

 

[farjam]

I didn't see that coming at all !

_____________
off topic
Guys did you watch that idiot fenati at moto2?

 

[RufGTI]

I can't believe Buemi is going to do F1 again for the same reason JE Vergne didn't want to. Both are some of the best drivers outside of F1 and get access to the best teams in series like FE or the WEC. Also this kind of drivers does not fit that well into the Red Bull Juniors programm.

I really hope Nick Cassidy has a shot at getting a Toro Rosso seat. If here really takes victory in Super Formula (which is a better series than Formula 2 according to Helmut Marko) and defenses his title in Super GT he should be in a strong position.