Former driver blatantly slams Red Bull for replacing a potential world champion with Daniel Ricciardo in 2011
Jaime Alguersuari recalls Red Bull dropping his former teammate, who went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans on multiple occasions.
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Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull Racing is known to be ruthless when it comes to junior drivers. The Austrian team supported dozens of drivers on their path to F1, including Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo. However, Milton Keynes would swap drivers quickly if one failed to perform. Former Red Bull junior Jaime Alguersuari reckons the team let go of a talented driver over a decade ago.
Alguersuari was teammates with Sebastian Buemi at the Red Bull junior team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, between 2009 and 2011. The two drivers were part of the driver academy of the Austrian giant. However, the two failed to impress and were swiftly replaced by Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne for the 2012 season.
Jaime Algusuari recently took to Twitter as the driver-turned-DJ noted the achievements of his former teammate after being forced out of F1. Sebastian Buemi has become a mainstay in the World Endurance Championship as the Swiss driver has won multiple WEC championships as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota. Moreover, Buemi also won the second season of the all-electric Formula E championship.
Alguersuari recalled the conversation he and Buemi had with Red Bull over their departure from F1. Jaime said, “Just having breakfast and realized something… 11 years ago we were told we were being replaced because we weren’t winners…” The 33-year-old decided to sideline himself in his tweet and rather focused on Sebastian Buemi.
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Sebastian Buemi could’ve won the F1 world title, says Jaime Alguersuari
The Swiss driver has gone on to achieve considerable success despite being forced out by Red Bull. Alguersuari explained, “lets pls forget about me for a second but just while I’m having my coffee. I found out @Sebastien_buemi, my former teammate in F1, keeps…. On adding wins and trophies to his back.”
The former Red Bull driver was delighted to see his friend and former teammate make a name in the racing world. He continued, “i forgot how many world titles he has already to his back, and i m not just happy and proud of him.” However, Jaime could not help but imagine what Buemi could’ve done if the Swiss were given a chance by Christian Horner to race for Red Bull Racing.
The 33-year-old believed that Buemi had the potential to not only win races at the pinnacle of motorsport but perhaps even win the F1 world championship. He concluded, “As time goes by I realized how many race wins and maybe world titles he would’ve won at Red Bull racing F1. Again pls don’t judge me.” Alas, this remains a mystery after the Swiss driver failed to impress Red Bull.
Thus, Jaime Alguersuari is convinced that Red Bull lost out on a potential star by not keeping Sebastian Buemi. However, this is how the Milton Keynes team operates. If drivers fail to perform, they are not given a second chance. Although, Buemi’s racing career is a testament that a driver might have the potential to achieve great success even if a team like Red Bull fails to see it.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2426 Articles Published)