“There were also other drivers,” Franz Tost refutes claims that Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel are ‘the fastest’ Toro Rosso graduates
Toro Rosso, now known as AlphaTauri has nurtured several world class drivers.
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Franz Tost via Irish Mirror
AlphaTauri was popularly known as Scuderia Toro Rosso before 2020. It has been Red Bull’s sister team in Formula One ever since its inception in 2006. It has acted as a driver academy for the team. Red Bull is in the unique position of being able to shuffle drivers between the teams.
Several household names have driven for the Italian outfit. For example, the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, two-time world champion Max Verstappen, and the ‘king of late braking’ Daniel Ricciardo. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly have also driven for the team. AlphaTauri is currently nurturing former F2 champions Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries.
When asked about the fastest driver to have driven for the team, principal Franz Tost had an unconventional reply. He told the press, “Yeah, of course it’s easy to say. I could say now Max Verstappen. I could say Sebastian Vettel. They were the fastest because otherwise they wouldn’t have won so many races and championships.
Tost added, “But there were also other drivers. They were not much slower but maybe they were at the wrong time in the wrong team or whatever. But these two are the best, of course.” He implied that despite Verstappen and Vettel being the obvious candidates to be declared the fastest, there were other drivers too. Several of them showed immense potential.
Toro Rosso is known for nurturing prodigious talent
Across its seventeen-year tenure in Formula One, Toro Rosso, now known as AlphaTauri has produced and cultivated tremendous talent at the pinnacle of motorsport. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz made his F1 debut with them in 2015.
Pierre Gasly began his Formula One career with Toro Rosso in 2017. He then moved to Red Bull but After an inconsistent start, he returned to AlphaTauri in 2020. It was where he found his form and established himself as a key driver for the team.
Daniel Ricciardo joined Toro Rosso for the 2012 season. During his two years there, he demonstrated his talent and potential, exhibiting his speed and racecraft in a fiercely competitive field. Max Verstappen made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015 and became the youngest F1 driver. Despite his lack of experience, he immediately made an impact.
Verstappen’s performances with Toro Rosso caught the attention of Red Bull. They promoted him to their senior team for the 2016 season. The rest is history, as he is now a double world champion. The Dutchman is on his way to establishing himself as one of the best drivers in F1.
Sebastian Vettel joined Toro Rosso in the 2007 season, and the following year he became the team’s lead driver. Vettel then moved to Red Bull and won four driver’s championships in a row. He is widely regarded as an all-time great in F1 and is beloved by fans and the paddock alike.
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Tanuj Sadasivam
(245 Articles Published)