Formula 1
Toro Rosso could not have kept Vettel - Tost
Global Motorsport Media
Published: Nov 9, 2011, 5:57 PM
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Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost has revealed he had no argument when Red Bull poached Sebastian Vettel after the 2008 season.
Vettel, then in his very early 20s, showed immense potential at Red Bull's Faenza based junior team in 2007 and 2008 before he moved to the parent squad for 2009.
Sebastian Vettel won his first race in 2008 for Toro Rosso
Photo by: xpb.cc
In 2010 and 2011, he won back-to-back world championships, but Toro Rosso's Tost has no bitterness at the thought that with Vettel on board, the former Minardi team might have been pulled up the grid.
"It (keeping Vettel) was never an issue even for one second," the Austrian told Sportwoche magazine.
"In that situation, Vettel would not have been allowed to stay with us. It probably would never have been even considered," added Tost.
He conceded that a large part of Vettel's success at Toro Rosso in 2008 was due to Red Bull.
"We are ultimately about the future of the drivers and in 2008 we were using the car from Red Bull Technology, designed by Adrian Newey," added Tost.
And when Vettel left Toro Rosso for Red Bull, Tost said he was sure it would be a formidable alliance.
Vettel would not have been allowed to stay with us
Franz Tost
"It was clear to me that that combination - Red Bull, Vettel and Newey - would be dominating sooner or later," he said. "In fact they would have taken the title already in 2009 if it wasn't for the double diffuser story with Brawn."
But even though he sees Vettel's departure as inevitable, Tost said he is not happy to simply look back on 2008 as Toro Rosso's finest hour.
"No, it should be repeated," he answered confidently. "As often as possible."
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