Marko: Vergne has future in F1

Jean-Eric Vergne has a future in formula one, Red Bull’s driver development chief Dr Helmut Marko insists.

The spotlight at present is on Daniel Ricciardo, the young Australian who is at the pinnacle of Red Bull’s junior driver programme and tipped to enter F1 next year with Toro Rosso.

But Frenchman Verge, 20, is also high in the Red Bull programme and tipped to replace Ricciardo as the F1 reserve driver in 2011.

He comfortably won this year’s British F3 championship, and finished eighth in the Renault World Series despite only replacing the ousted Brendon Hartley in July.

Marko told France’s Auto Hebdo that the success of new world champion Sebastian Vettel “justifies all of our efforts” to develop young drivers for F1.

“What we want now is another driver into F1 who can win,” the Austrian added. “Jean-Eric might be the one!” said Marko, referring to Vergne who recently tested the Toro Rosso in Abu Dhabi.

“He has a completely different character to Seb, but that’s ok so long as his performance is there,” he added.

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