26/11/2010
NEWS STORY
Daniel Ricciardo will be Toro Rosso's third and reserve drive for the 2011 Formula 1 season.
However, the Faenza based team stresses that this is not just an "honorary" appointment as the 21 year old Australian will drive in the Friday morning free practice sessions at all the Grands Prix, replacing each of its current two drivers in turn.
As already confirmed earlier this year, Toro Rosso's driver line-up of Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi remains unchanged for 2011.
Ricciardo is a product of the Red Bull Young Driver Programme. This year the Australian finished second in the Formula Renault 3.5 series, after winning the 2009 British Formula 3 championship.
"When our team was created, its stated aim was to bring on young drivers from the Red Bull Junior Programme," said Franz Tost, "so Daniel's appointment as our third driver is an obvious one. Although Daniel has done some F1 testing already, running on Fridays at the Grands Prix will give him a valuable insight into the additional pressures of doing it for real during a race weekend. I am also sure that having a hungry youngster on the books will keep our current driver pairing nice and sharp!"
"I am really excited at the prospect of driving for Toro Rosso in the sessions at the Grands Prix next year," added Ricciardo, "so I have to say thanks to Red Bull for this great opportunity. My main priority for 2011 is to win the Formula Renault 3.5 championship, but my ultimate aim is to be a full-time Formula 1 driver and this new role has to be the best step towards achieving that ambition."