Marko: “Buemi and Alguersuari are not winners”

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Algueruari had had enough time to demonstrate their potential in F1 and had lost their places at Toro Rosso because they failed to do so.

Buemi and Alguersuari have been part of Red Bull's young driver development program since early and mid-2009 respectively, but have been dropped in favor of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne for 2012.

While Alguersuari's future is still uncertain, Buemi will remain in the Red Bull orbit in the role of reserve driver.

“Toro Rosso was created to give young drivers chances,” Marko told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Alguersuari and Buemi had this chance for three years and therefore it was possible to evaluate them in terms of development. We didn't see any possibility of growth in them. Both deserved to race in Grands Prix, but that's not enough for us: we need winning drivers."

At the moment no major changes are foreseen for the Italian team: “It will certainly remain an Italian team based in Faenza, oriented towards the development of young drivers. But Toro Rosso will have to develop more and more autonomously."

The partnership with Ferrari for engines should continue: “The contract runs until 2012. At the moment I can't say what will happen in the future but so far we are very satisfied with the collaboration” concluded Marko.