Jaime Alguersuari says he was surprised to learn that he had been dropped from Toro Rosso for the 2012 season, leaving him and his now former teammate, Sebastien Buemi, without seats.
The pairing, which managed to finish 14th and 15th in the standings respectively, will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne next season, confirmed the outfit on Wednesday.
Alguersuari was surprised to hear the news, admitting he only learned about the decision on the same day it was announced and he hadn’t expected it, given the teams recent vibes toward the Spaniard.
“A week ago I was talking with Helmut Marko (Red Bull advisor) and Franz Tost (STR team principal) and they told me that they had plans for me with a view to 2012,” said the 21-year-old.
“They did it with enthusiasm and showed me much confidence, they also asked me to be in Madrid on Monday, for a day with CEPSA (a sponsor) where I talked about our F1 project in 2012.”
Despite the shock, Alguersuari thanked Red Bull and Toro Rosso for supporting him for the past few years.
“I thought that they were crazy making me debut in 2009 at 19 years and three months, without ever having completed a mile in F1 before,” he continued.
“Today’s news seemed like the greatest misunderstanding during the best moment of my sporting life.
“Red Bull gave me everything since I was 15. I’ve trained with them and I’m a complete driver in F1 now. I’m not a victim, because for seven years I have enjoyed the privilege of being in the best team in the world with the best resources.”
Alguersuari hinted that this decision could see him head in a different direction with his career, one away from F1, possibly focusing on his successful DJ career.
“I do not consider what happened today a tragedy, because I have many plans for the present and future: both professionally and sporting. The surprise lasted for a couple of hours, I just needed to talk to my family.”
