"I really think I have my place in F1," Frenchman says
Thursday 16 October 2014 11:08, UK
As it turned out, the Thursday press day at the Japanese GP was not the most propitious time to speak to Jean-Eric Vergne about his future.
According to those in the know, it was that very evening when Fernando Alonso and Ferrari agreed that their relationship was going nowhere; once Sebastian Vettel got wind of their desire to part ways, he told Red Bull that he, too, was off…to Maranello presumably. All of a sudden, things seemed to be moving very quickly indeed.
And no matter what people would have you believe, it showed that no-one – no matter how well connected they are – has their finger on the F1 pulse all the time. Even Christian Horner said he had no idea Vettel was leaving until Friday night; both his team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, and his replacement, Daniil Kvyat, said they didn’t know until Saturday morning, when Red Bull made the news official. Lewis Hamilton said he knew all along but there’s always one, isn’t there?
Whether the ripples have any effect on Vergne only time will tell, but ever since Red Bull dropped another bombshell in August, when they announced the arrival of 17-year-old Max Verstappen on the grid in 2015, it has been assumed that the Frenchman will leave Toro Rosso. Team boss Franz Tost hinted in Russia that Kvyat’s surprise promotion might spare Vergne after all, but given their relentless quest for the next big thing, the feeling persists that after his prolonged audition for a Red Bull seat, their preference of, first, Ricciardo and now Kvyat means the writing is still on the wall for the 24-year-old.
If so, Vergne will be forced to follow the likes of Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi – both of whom were yanked from the production line and dumped in the reject bin, their F1 careers over at an age when, for most of us, the notion of a career seems nebulous at best. Imagine that: your life has barely begun and yet, in professional terms, you've already turned the corner.
Such is the way of the Red Bull young driver programme; to be accepted sounds rather like auditioning successfully for a TV talent show or boyband. Potentially there's a big price to pay but Vergne knew what he was letting himself in for at the outset: they've given him a chance he wouldn't otherwise have had.
Unlike the majority of his predecessors, though, can he turn his career around and re-establish himself in F1?
In Belgium, it seemed that you accepted Toro Rosso’s decision. You were even joking about it, saying ‘I’m too old at 24’ and that kind of thing. But what’s your understanding about why they’ve made the decision they’ve made?
Jean-Eric Vergne: “I don’t want to understand it. People have their reasons; the same way as I don’t want to understand how he [Verstappen] could get the Super Licence. This is not in my hands and this will not change my future, this will not change anything of my life. So it makes no sense for me that I waste my energy in trying to understand things. All I understand is that Toro Rosso is there with Red Bull-backing, which is a team to promote young drivers. And it stands that after three years you’re not really a young driver anymore and that they need to keep feeding the programme with young drivers. That’s what I understand – I understood it – but then who, how, why? I don’t want to know.”
You’ve seen both sides of it now, haven’t you? Because when you were picked up by Red Bull, you didn’t have the money to progress your career so Red Bull gave you backing. As then and you say – it was the same for Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi – you get three seasons. So what qualities do Red Bull look for in a young driver?
JEV: “This is a question you need to ask to Helmut Marko.”
But what do you think they look for?
JEV: “They look for winning racing drivers.”
But when you were teamed with Daniel Ricciardo, you had better race results than him?
JEV: “I know. I think the reason they picked up Daniel was because he was probably more ready mentally and he was probably doing less mistakes. This is all in the same set-up, you know, it was all in the head, and I improved myself this winter. I got a lot stronger: my performance in qualifying, which was weak last year, got a lot better as well, so I think I became a much better, complete driver. The only problem is that there is no place in Red Bull; so if there was a free seat, they would probably consider for me to go there. I don’t want to say that - I don’t want to advance myself that much – but all I know is that they need to promote young drivers, they take me out and I don’t fit anywhere because there is simply no place in the Red Bull programme.”
So you feel you’ve improved in qualifying but as far as Red Bull are concerned, it’s too little, too late?
JEV: “No, it’s not too late. It’s just that they are full with their drivers and that’s all.”
How close were you to getting the Red Bull drive that Daniel got?
JEV: “It was really close between and Daniel and I.”
And the fact they considered him more ready mentally was the clinching factor?
JEV: “Probably, yes.”
Have you spoken to Daniel about it?
JEV: “No. I was happy for Daniel and I became more happy this year looking at all his results and everything. You have to deal with these kind of things and I was ready to move forward and get stronger from any difficult situations. And that’s what I’ve done.”
Do you think Max Verstappen is under a lot of pressure, having just turned 17?
JEV: “I don’t think anything. If Red Bull put him in the car they think he’s good, he’s talented and he only has to show it in the car. As a team, Toro Rosso are right to put him in the car to give him as much mileage as possible.”
What were you doing when you were 17 years and a bit? They asked Romain Grosjean and he said he was driving his mum’s Subaru.
JEV: “I was not ready. I was driving in Formula Renault 2.0...with Daniel Ricciardo.”
Are you speaking to other teams?
JEV: “Some, yes. But I’m not going to say any more.”
If Red Bull have handled your career so far, that means you have to find yourself a manager?
JEV: “I’m working on it, yes. But I cannot say anything more right now, you know? I’m not the kind of guy that’s going to talk about things that might or might not happen, so I’ll keep working really hard and when I find something, I will say. But no, never before.”
And also, there might be the possibility that you would have to find sponsors. Is that what would happen?
JEV: “These are all things I’m working on at the moment. But I can’t say anything.”
Are you confident you’ll stay in F1? You equalled your career-best result in Singapore where you finished sixth.
JEV: “Many people probably agree. I really think I have my place in F1; when you look at what Daniel is doing, and when you compare ourselves the last two years, we were extremely similar and it was so tight between him and me to go to Red Bull. So that means I can do the same kind of things as he is doing. I don’t say I will do any better or any worse; I just say I don’t think I will be far off him – considering everything that we’ve done being always so close. So that means I have the potential; I came through many difficult moments in F1, you know: being not in the best car, dropped while it’s not because of your performance. It’s quite difficult for a driver to understand all of this and to always ‘step it up’ still, you know? And that’s what I try to do, so I’m sure that when I will have a good car, I will be extremely strong I believe…strong in my head.”
And you think other people in the paddock – other prospective employers – will see that?
JEV: “Yes, already people in Toro Rosso know it, in Red Bull as well. So I guess people talk in the paddock (laughs).”
Would you consider other categories of motorsport? Or is it Formula 1 or nothing?
JEV: “I’m not that stupid to say Formula 1 or nothing. There is, of course, some other categories that could be interesting. I’m not going to say anything as the moment, but as a racing driver you want to race and win. If you no longer have the view of winning in F1 then you should consider something else.”
You come across as being quite laid back. Would you say you’re a really, really ambitious person?
JEV: “You have be ambitious or otherwise you go nowhere in life. So of course I am. But I’m realistic. I know I’m not going to talk to Mercedes and say, ‘Please, I want a seat for next year’. You need to prove yourself, win races. I mean, it’s how Formula 1 works: big teams, they want superstars because it’s good for marketing and because they are good drivers and it’s good for the image. But if you want to become a superstar for the big teams to want you, you need to be in a big team to win races. But how do you do that if you’re not a superstar? You know what I mean.”
Maybe some people believe themselves to be superstars? But you don’t seem that way. From a distance, you do seem to be quite laid back in your approach to F1. Is that how you would describe yourself?
JEV: “I would say that I’m not stupid when it comes to understanding situations.”
What do you mean by that?
JEV: “I mean that the situation is as it is. I’m not a superstar; I’ve never won a race in F1. Even if I know – and people know – that I can make it, to be in big teams there is a big board of people to decide, that are not probably in the paddock; that just want to have a big name in their car. So it’s a little bit tricky you know?”
Would you have done anything differently?
JEV: “No, I don’t want to have regrets. I think I’ve done mistakes that have helped me to be a better driver and that’s how it is.”
One last question: where do you think you’ll be in March 2015?
JEV: “In Australia, on the grid. In a strong position!”
