Bortolotti in frame for Toro Rosso drive
Bortolotti has been linked to the remaining Toro Rosso seat alongside Buemi
Wednesday, 06, Jan 2010 02:01
By Adam Leveridge
Formula two star Mirko Bortolotti has been linked with the second Toro Rosso seat alongside Sebastien Buemi in 2010.
Jamie Alguersuari was tipped to retain his drive with the Red Bull-backed outfit in 2010 after making his F1 debut as a replacement for Sebastien Bourdais, who was sacked after a series of mediocre performances, in the second half of last year.
However, Alguersuari was not mentioned in the provisional 2010 entry list that was released towards the end of last year and this led to speculation that his seat might not be secure.
When asked whether Bortolotti was in line for the drive, Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko said: "We do not yet know exactly what we are going to do with Bortolotti in 2010."
After finishing fourth in the 2009 F2 championship, the Red Bull Junior driver was awarded the opportunity of testing a 2009-spec Toro Rosso at the young drivers' test in Jerez, which was held in the first week of December.
In 2008, Bortolotti also tested for Ferrari as a reward for winning the Italian formula three championship and he made an instant impression by smashing the lap-record for the Fiorano circuit.
With the exception of Toro Rosso, only seats at Sauber, USF1 and Renault are still up for grabs.