Jean-Eric Vergne: Red Bull's next world champion?

If Jean-Eric Vergne needed reminding that Red Bull can be a hard task-master, he need look no further than the team with which he will undertake his maiden season in Formula 1...

Scuderia Toro Rosso's decision to drop Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari for Vergne and his fellow Red Bull protege Daniel Ricciardo - 21 and 22 years old respectively - came as something of a shock. That one of Buemi and Alguersuari might be dropped seemed likely, but both being told to look elsewhere caused widespread surprise and, in some quarters, consternation.

"Toro Rosso was created to give young drivers a chance," came the uncompromising response from Helmut Marko, head of Red Bull's junior programme.

"Alguersuari and Buemi had it for three years and after this time it's possible to evaluate a driver's development. We haven't seen in them any possibility of growth. Both are worthy of grand prix racing, but for us that's not enough: we need winners."

Vergne (5) often raced against Ricciardo (3) in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2011... © LAT

If nothing else, it is a simple edict for Vergne and Ricciardo to live up to.

So how does a driver with a CV as exceptional as Vergne's - British F3 champion and formula Renault 3.5 runner-up - approach his first season in F1, especially in the light of Marko's inflexible criteria?

"I've been used to pressure since I was racing in indoor karts; pressure is what drives me and pushes me forward," he says in the team motorhome at Jerez, where on Thursday he will get his first taste of Toro Rosso's 2012 challenger.

"I understand it. There are only 24 Formula 1 drivers in the world, so there must be pressure. I have to deliver and show the world I deserve my place."

It is some statement from a man of 21; even more so because it is delivered as matter-of-fact and with the minimum of hyperbole. Vergne has been part of the Red Bull stable for several years. He knows what is expected - and his own expectations match those of his employers.

"With Red Bull I have the best chance I ever could in Formula 1," he says. "I have everything in front of me right now.

"I don't want to be in F1 just to make up the numbers. One day I want to be at the top. At the moment though I'm not thinking too much about the future - I'm concentrating just on this season. I've got a big chance and I intend to take it with both hands."

...and impressed by topping all three days of F1 testing at Yas Marina © LAT

It is an interesting statement. Vergne clearly has the pedigree to justify lofty ambitions, and is widely tipped to be Red Bull's next chosen son, following in the footsteps of a certain Sebastian Vettel, if he can beat Ricciardo.

Ask him about such a billing however and he refuses to be drawn. Focusing on the present and not getting ahead of himself has, he says, been his mantra since his earliest days in karting.

"I know some drivers who got lost thinking about F1," he says. "This year I am here, but I don't want to think about the future too much. I don't think about the impact of this year on my career in F1. Honestly, it's not that I don't care, I'm just not looking too far forward. First and foremost I need good results this year - and that is 100 per cent my focus, 100 per cent."

Such vehemence is hard to ignore, but surely Vergne must have one eye on the potential implications of a stand-out season - particularly given the fact that Mark Webber will not be at Red Bull forever.

"I don't want to say I want to take the place of Webber because I am simply not thinking about it," Vergne insists. "I have said I don't want to focus on the future too much. I also don't want to say anything leading - then people say this or that about my comments. There are too many examples, too many drivers I know, who thought too far ahead and got lost."

The Frenchman wants to rise above Ricciardo at Toro Rosso this year... © LAT

While his sincerity should not be doubted, one suspects a willingness to avoid recrimination, to not be seen as too bold, too early. He is, after all, not lacking confidence - and deservedly so for a man who dominated British F3 in 2010 and only narrowly lost out to the vastly more-experienced Robert Wickens in last year's Formula Renault 3.5 campaign, in what was his first full season.

So did he expect to partner Ricciardo at Toro Rosso this year?

"I was hoping to, yes," he admits. "It was a bold decision [from Toro Rosso], but you have to ask what the team is for. It is to develop potential race winners, like Helmet Marko said. I don't want to be talking too much about this, and I don't want to appear arrogant, but the goal - both mine and the team's - has to be to demonstrate that.

"In the last five races of the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 championship I had Ricciardo as my team-mate, and I was the driver who scored the most points. This was my first time in the car.

"F1 is different though - it's going to be incredibly difficult. Drivers have been here for 10 years, and there are six world champions. As a rookie driver it's really difficult, and I know its going to be very tough. All I can say is I will try as much as possible, and we will see."

His form at the 2011 young driver test for Red Bull - when he topped all three days and came within 0.5 seconds of Vettel's pole time from last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - suggests he could well hit the ground running this season.

...but will the STR7 be the car that allows him to shine? © sutton-images.com

"I had three days in the Red Bull and I was quick, but - and again I do not want to be arrogant - it wasn't too hard to be quick in this car because honestly it was just amazing. I was not surprised I was fastest - the feel, the speed, the grip were all amazing.

"Being a racing driver is much more than being a test driver though. When I was in the test there was no pressure of qualifying, the start, overtaking - it was only about driving each lap and giving the team good feedback. F1 itself is much, much more complicated, which is why I am being realistic about my chances. I think I can handle it, I just need to keep working hard."

What can we expect from Vergne then? A prodigious talent undoubtedly, he could stand to profit massively if he can capitalise on his chance at Toro Rosso - especially if he can eclipse the highly rated Ricciardo - another ex-British F3 champ and Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up - at the same time.

"What can people expect of me? It will take time to adapt, that's for sure. I start with less experience than Dan, but I am confident I can learn quickly and that we can get the best out of each other.

"I'm already working really hard on the training ground in order to get up to speed as quickly as possible. We will have to wait until Australia and Malaysia, but ultimately the goal is to score as many points as possible. I'm not concerning myself with anything past that."

Impress in 2012, and he might not have to. Red Bull and Helmut Marko will be watching keenly.