Red Bull to evaluate Ricciardo but not Vergne at Silverstone

It is a surprise announcement which will further fuel the rumors surrounding Red Bull and his seat left free next year by the departure of Mark Webber at Porsche in Endurance. On the occasion of the Silverstone Youth Tests, which begin this Wednesday and which will take place until Friday, Daniel Ricciardo, member of the sister team Toro Rosso and candidate to replace his Australian compatriot next year, will have the opportunity to ride in the RB9 this Wednesday. Officially, it will be a question of taking part in “tire tests”, Pirelli bringing new compounds to this occasion. But it will also and above all be a new way of evaluating this young driver, put in competition with Kimi Räikkönen to obtain the second wheel of the triple reigning world champion team for 2014.

This is also very bad news for Jean-Eric Vergne. Once announced in the race for this place, the Frenchman, who will only ride for one day for Toro Rosso during these Youth Tests, seems, in fact, to be excluded from the list of contenders. Worse, Red Bull and Toro Rosso will run nearly three members of the Red Bull Young Driver Academy: Antonio Félix da Costa and Carlos Sainz Jr. will share the wheel of the RB9, while the son of the double Spanish world champion WRC will also be lined up in STR08 along with Russian Daniil Kvyat. Pilots who are announced to be getting closer and closer to the Formula 1?

Furthermore, Johnny Cecotto Jr., the Venezuelan currently engaged with Arden in GP2, will once again find the seat of a Toro Rosso, after having driven for them last year at the Abu Dhabi Youth Tests. At Red Bull to finish, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel will take to the track on Thursday and Friday respectively.