Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne believes the disappointment of missing out on a promotion to sister-team Red Bull has actually been a positive.
The French driver was a candidate alongside team-mate Daniel Ricciardo for the drive, but with the latter getting the nod, Vergne was left wondering why he hadn’t been chosen.
However, getting over the decision and reveluating his career with Toro Rosso over the winter period has, he believes, made him a better driver mentally.
“Back at that time I thought there would be a chance [to join Red Bull],” he said. “I’m not sure we want to go through the whole story again, but obviously it was a difficult moment to go through. I took it a little bit as a loss and bad luck, but when something is bad, everything can become bad around you.
“I really took the time this winter to look myself in the mirror and realise things, and I realised it was actually good for me not to have gone to Red Bull, I believe. I’m happy to be here and it’s made me a lot stronger as a driver because, as I saw myself last year compared to this year, I was a really weak driver in the head.
“I believe that if I would have gone to Red Bull it would have been like a win for myself, and all the work I have done this winter I don’t think I would have done it in the same way. That would have been a bad surprise to then fight against Sebastian [Vettel].”
Vergne is confident he can prove his talent at Toro Rosso this year and believes the Italian team has the ability to produce a great car.
“I see Toro Rosso as having really big potential,” he added. “To be honest, I’m extremely happy about being in this team this year. I think I am in a good position with Toro Rosso and I think they have really good plans in the pipeline.”
