Red Bull motor racing advisor Dr Helmut Marko says Toro Rosso, the energy drink company’s de-facto junior team, could easily select Sebastien Buemi to replace the departing Sebastian Vettel next year.
Marko told Switzerland’s Motorsport Aktuell that 19-year-old Buemi, a GP2 racer and occasional Red Bull test driver, would be a natural candidate for the seat should Toro Rosso bosses Gerhard Berger and Franz Tost agree.
In Vettel and incumbent Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing has already determined its race lineup for 2009, but Marko said there is “no hurry” for Toro Rosso to follow suit.
He noted: “Buemi already has a contract. If Toro Rosso want, they can have him at any time.”
Also strongly linked with Vettel’s vacant seat has been Bruno Senna, but the cockpit currently occupied by Sebastien Bourdais may also be up for grabs.
Marko sees the situation as not overly complicated for Toro Rosso.
“There are not many drivers on the market at which you should take a closer look,” he said.
He also said Toro Rosso is under no obligation to choose Vettel’s successor from the Red Bull clan.
