Toro Rosso has confirmed that reigning Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion Carlos Sainz Jr. will make his Formula 1 debut with the team in 2015.
Sainz Jr. became the first Red Bull junior driver to clinch the title in October and will partner Max Verstappen in an all-rookie line-up at the Italian outfit next season.
Sainz Jr. initially missed out on promotion to the squad after Verstappen was signed to race alongside Daniil Kvyat, but Sebastian Vettel’s departure to Ferrari enabled Kvyat to move to Red Bull and opened up a slot at Toro Rosso, which has now been filled by the Spaniard.
“I am really happy to have landed the drive with Toro Rosso,” said Sainz Jr, son of two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz.
“Ever since I have been part of Red Bull’s Young Driver Programme, this has been my aim and I want to thank Red Bull for putting their faith in me.
“I have had a very successful season in World Series by Renault this year and now I am looking forward to taking the step up to Formula 1.
“I tested for a day with Toro Rosso last year and I liked the atmosphere in the team. In the next few months I will be working hard on my preparation, ready to get in the cockpit in Jerez for the first test of next year.
Team Principal Franz Tost says Sainz Jr.’s appointment is a vindication of Red Bull’s young driver programme as the squad will field Formula 1’s youngest-ever line-up in 2015.
“With Carlos joining Max in our driver line-up next year, we continue the Toro Rosso tradition of providing youngsters from the Red Bull Junior Driver Programme with their first steps in Formula 1,” he said.
“I have watched Carlos progress through the junior categories, always improving as he moved higher up the ladder, culminating in a well-deserved win in this year’s World Series [by Renault].
“However, I also remember the day’s testing he did with us at Silverstone in 2013 in the STR8. He really surprised me and his engineers that day, with his mature approach and his speed.”
Jean-Éric Vergne, who raced for the team between 2012 and 2014, confirmed his exit from Toro Rosso on Wednesday.
Sainz Jr. tested for both Red Bull and Toro Rosso at Silverstone last year and received another outing with the senior team earlier this week, when he sampled the RB10 in Abu Dhabi.
