Tost recalls Vettel's debut at Toro Rosso: 'I was convinced he would become world champion'

From the announcement of Sebastian Vettel's retirement at the end of July, ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the tributes followed one another for the German. One of the most significant is perhaps that of Franz Tost, current director ofAlpha Tauri. The team, formerly called Toro Rosso, gave birth to the phenomenon Hag in 2007 by giving him a chance in Formula 1. After an already notable experience with BMW during his first Grand Prix, in the United States (8th, youngest driver to score a point in F1), the young nugget from Heppenheim was called by Toro Rosso to finish the season as a replacement. by Scott Speed.

Franz Tost was already team principal at Toro Rosso when Vettel joined the team in 2007. He notably oversaw the German's sensational first victory at Monza in 2008. The former Austrian driver says that he always knew that the first diamond in the lap Red Bull at the time would become a world champion. “The questions he asked were really good for a young driver. His big advantages were, first of all, that he was 100% committed to Formula 1, or motorsport in general,” says Tost.

“When he arrived with us, he brought new blood, new ideas. He was very demanding and asked a lot of questions, remembers the director of AlphaTauri. He went into detail, which is very important, and he was always in a good mood. Although we had some problems with the car at the start, he kept the team moving forward. Thanks to that, he won with the Toro Rosso at the time, the Monza race. »

“It was clear to me that he was going to become a truly great pilot” confides Tost

After a season and a half spent in Faenza, Sebastian Vettel then headed to Milton Keynes to join the parent team, Red Bull, and win four titles. Franz Tost believes that the German already had the seed of a champion when he drove for Toro Rosso, like his incredible success in Italy. “It was his first race victory, and the first victory for Toro Rosso. And, you know, with the way he worked, it was clear to me that he was going to become a real great pilot, recognizes the Austrian. I was convinced that he could become Formula 1 world champion if he was at the right time, with the right team. And that was the case with Red Bull, then later with Ferrari, where he was very successful and won many races. »

Fifteen years after his debut with BMW then with Toro Rosso, Sebastian Vettel will therefore retire at the end of the season. " We will miss him. Me personally, of course, because we met a few times and he's a fantastic person, always open, and he was just very, very successful... concludes Franz Tost, with a touch of nostalgia. And I wish him and his family the best for the future. »

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