The young driver Mark Webber blamed for robbing him of potentially his best finish in Formula One is set to become the Australian’s teammate next season.
German Sebastian Vettel was subjected to an angry tirade from Webber for a careless move at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Vettel took out both the Red Bull racer and himself while they were running second and third under the safety car in wet conditions.
Webber was set to take second place, his best finish in F1 when the accident happened.
Now Vettel is poised to move from Torro Rosso - Red Bull’s second tier team - to the main outfit alongside Webber, according to reports.
Red Bull motor racing adviser Helmut Marko was asked if the 20-year-old would be in the main squad next year, as flagged by the energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
“Yes, I think so,” Marko told autosport.com. “He’s a very special one and he is very developed for his age. He can be very aggressive in the car but he’s also technical and well trained.
“Red Bull has been with him for eight years and we have a contract for another couple of years,” he said.
Torro Rosso team boss Franz Tost is confident enough to predict Vettel can fight for wins next year, despite the Red Bull cars in the hands of Webber and Scottish veteran David Coulthard remaining well off the pace.
“He is one of the best young drivers so far,” Tost said.
“He’s been racing for 15 years so from the driving side he’s very mature. But he’s also really clever and this is a key to his success.
“Sebastian is on a much higher level than many other drivers, both in and out of the cockpit.
“He knows he can do the job if we provide him with the right car. He has already reached a very high level and it depends which car he will get for next season - but he can become a front-runner.”
Torro Rosso co-owner Gerhard Berger has compared Vettel to seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher.
The probability is that 37-year-old Scot David Coulthard will quit the team at the end of this season for Vettel.
UPDATE: F1 ToGo notes New Zealander Kiwi Brendon Hartley, who is currently racing in British F3 with Red Bull, may be tabbed to inherit the vacant Toro Rosso seat if Vettel moves to the parent team.
Technorati Tags: Red Bull Racing, Sebastien Bourdais, Mark Webber, Gerhard Berger, Sebastian Vettel , F1 Rage!
Tags: David Coulthard, Gerhard Berger, Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, Sebastian Vettel, Sebastien Bourdais
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