Buemi confirmed to race at Toro Rosso

Scuderia Toro Rosso is pleased to announce that Sébastien Buemi will drive for the team in the 2009 Formula 1 season. The twenty year old from Aigle, Switzerland competed in GP2 last year, when he was also the reserve driver for our sister team, Red Bull Racing.

For most of his racing career, he has been supported by Red Bull as part of its Junior Driver programme.

Team Principal, Franz Tost commented: "We are delighted to welcome Sébastien, who was already part of the Red Bull family, to our team. Our engineers have been impressed with his speed in the car and his ability to learn and progress during the testing he has carried out for us last year. That, along with some impressive performances in GP2 was enough to convince us to give him the drive. His appointment also fulfils the aims of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme and meets Dietrich Mateschitz's intention to use Scuderia Toro Rosso as a showcase for young drivers the company has supported in the lower formulae."

"I am naturally very happy to be driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso this year," said Sébastien Buemi. "Being a Formula 1 driver has always been my target, since I first started racing. This year, I will do all I can to bring home the best possible results and to show Red Bull that the confidence it has shown in me is justified. I want to thank Red Bull for this opportunity and for all the help they have given me in my career, dating back to 2005."

Sébastien's first track outing as an official Scuderia Toro Rosso driver will be at the test session held at the Portimao Circuit in Portugal later this month. An announcement about who will be Buemi's team-mate will be made at some point before the Australian Grand Prix!