STR drivers get three years to impress – Tost

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost has praised Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari’s recent performances, which have seen them consistently scoring in the latter half of the season so far.

“They are moving forward – that was clearly visible in the last couple of races, with the last race seeing both of them in the points – so let’s wait and see how the second half of the season works out,” said the Austrian.

“Then at the end of the year we will sit together with Red Bull to discuss who will sit in our cars in 2012.”

He particularly praised the Spaniard, Alguersuari, who struggled at the start of the 2011 season, failing to score points in the first seven races, but has since scored in all but one of the last five.

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“At the beginning of this season Jaime was not coming to terms with the tyres,” added Tost. “He was not able to make an easy switch from the Bridgestones of last year to the Pirellis. There is a significant difference between qualifying and race, with different demands on the driver, and Jaime was a bit slow on the uptake.

“Then sometimes he thought he could force it and that never works. Now he’s overcome that deficit of understanding the tyres and he is firmer in getting his set-up done – and that translated directly into the good results we’ve seen lately.”

That’s good news for the 21-year-old who, at the end of this season, will have been with the outfit for three years – though he joined the team midway through 2009 – as Tost highlighted that a driver has just three years to prove themselves at the Italian outfit before being dropped.

“Maximum three years,” he declared. “Or let’s put it this way: if you are not sure after three years whether he’s going to make it, I would bluntly say forget him, period.”

Sebastien Buemi is also in his third year with the team, this being his third full season, which by Tosts reasoning, would mean the Swiss driver is on his way out, or onto better things?