'Patient' Vergne learning from Red Bull decision

By on Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Red Bull/Getty Images

Red Bull/Getty Images

Jean-Eric Vergne says that the 'big disappointment' at missing out on a Red Bull seat has led him to become a better driver.

Mark Webber's retirement from Formula 1 opened up a seat with the world champions, but Red Bull opted to promote Vergne's Toro Rosso team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo.

Vergne will continue with Toro Rosso in 2014 and believes that trying to understand Red Bull's decision has improved him as a driver.

"It was a disappointment of course not to go to Red Bull. As a racing driver you want to win races and be World Champion, and for this you need the best car - and Red Bull is the best car," Vergne told Sky Sports F1.

"So it was a big disappointment I had to go through. Then I had to look in the mirror and say, 'Why did Red Bull pick him up and not me?' I think that helped me a lot in trying to be better."

Vergne said that despite missing out on the seat at Red Bull, he never contemplated switching to a rival team.

"There is no other team I'd like to be with. First of all I stay in the Red Bull family and I really believe in the team. We have good plans for next year and the year after."

Vergne added that since his arrival in the sport, he has learned that being patient is an important asset.

"I love this sport. Obviously I would love it a lot more if I was running at the front but sometimes you have to be patient. It's what I'm trying to do. Probably my biggest problem when I arrived in Formula 1 was to be too impatient."

"When you arrive from every category since karting you are used to winning everything and to be really in a bad mood when you finish second or third on the podium. I was this kind of guy; I was always fuming when I was not winning a race."

"When you arrive in Formula 1 and you're fighting for P10 in this team it makes things really difficult and it took me a really, really long time to try and understand that it was a really good result to finish P10 or P8 and have a positive spirit."

Vergne finished in 15th place in the 2013 championship, with a best finish of sixth in the Canadian Grand Prix.


If you liked this post then share it with your friends on social media websites. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with the latest F1 news.