One day after being announced as a race driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2012 F1 season, Jev is already hard at work…
Since his time in the Red Bull Junior Team, French driver Jean-Eric Vergne has been a regular tester for both Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. Well next year, like his former junior team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, Jev will be lining up on the grid as a full, race-approved driver for Italy's Red Bull team Scuderia Toro Rosso.
This is what he had to say when we spoke to him earlier…
You're celebrating your signing to Toro Rosso by training in the simulator. It must be a good feeling knowing you're doing all this hard work for your own benefit now…
It’s a good thing to be working today, just a few hours after hearing that I have the drive with Toro Rosso next season. It helps me keep my feet on the ground. But in any case, I love the work, driving either the real car or the simulator. It also makes a difference knowing that the work I’m doing in the simulator is now for my own benefit on the track and not just for other drivers.
How did you get the news that you're now a fully fledged F1 driver?
I was at home in Paris when I got the call. I was very excited and keen to tell everyone, but I didn't dare phone anyone until the team told me it had put out an official press release. Once I knew it was out there, I started calling my family and my trainer and others who have helped me along the way. After that, I couldn't make any more calls because people were ringing me non-stop.
You mentioned that a lot of people have helped you with your career, so this might be a good time to thank them…
Obviously Red Bull is top of the list. Without them I would not be in Formula 1, maybe I’d still be in college. After Red Bull, the FFSA, the French motorsport federation, has been a great help. They've backed me since I was racing karts. Then I won a federation championship called the Autosport Academy, so they got me on my way before I became part of the Red Bull programme.
Did you have any other plans in place for 2012?
I think I might have been the third driver for the team, running in Friday practice again and maybe tackling another season of World Series. But now I don’t have to think about that because my plans for next year are fixed in the best way possible.
After finishing in the silver medal position in the Renault 3.5 championship, you then had a busy time running three practice sessions with Scuderia Toro Rosso and riding the Young Driver Test for Red Bull Racing. How did the pressure differ between them?
It’s all the same to me. Whenever I am behind the wheel, whatever the car, whatever the formula, I always enjoy myself and do not feel any pressure. I just try to always give my best and be as professional as possible.
Daniel Ricciardo has been your team-mate before – how do you think the two of you will get along together this time?
It’s fantastic for me to be team-mates with him again. He’s a great guy and I like him as a friend. We joined the Red Bull programme together so we've known each other for a long time, working together in other series. In Formula 1, you only get one team-mate, so you have to make the best of it, working together to do as good a job as possible for the team. We have similar driving styles and we get on well and that will be a positive factor for us next year. Daniel could probably have a slight edge over me at first as he has done eleven races this year, but let’s see how it develops, as we have the winter testing ahead of us. I have a lot to learn, so I hope I can do that quickly. I am conscious it could be tough, but I also know that I learn and adapt very quickly. Formula 1 is different – tougher than all the rest – but I feel confident.
What are your plans between now and February testing?
After some time in the simulator, I will spend Christmas with my family and then the rest of the time will be spent training, because it will be important to be as fit and as well prepared as possible for what will be a very long and tough season.
Having signed up, does it mean you can actually have some say about next year’s Toro Rosso car?
Over the past couple of months, when I've been working alongside the engineers, we've looked into things like my position in the car and other areas. Of course, in the next few weeks, I will be going to the factory in Faenza to meet with the engineers and to try and get to know everyone in the team better – even if we established a good relationship in the last part of the season. I’ve got quite a few questions going round in my head, so it will be good to get to Italy and discuss everything calmly before it’s time to get in the cockpit again.
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