Who should Toro Rosso pick? (Poll)

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Which F1 drivers should Toro Rosso pick for the 2009 season?

Toro Rosso will run at least three different drivers in the three-day test at the Jerez circuit starting tomorrow. Sebastien Bourdais will be in the car along with Sebastien Buemi and Takuma Sato.

But with Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello and Bruno Senna now potentially available, who should Toro Rosso pick for 2009? Cast your vote here:

You can pick up to two different drivers:

Which drivers should Toro Rosso choose for 2009?

  • Someone else (1%)
  • Bruno Senna (12%)
  • Rubens Barrichello (6%)
  • Jenson Button (30%)
  • Takuma Sato (12%)
  • Sebastien Buemi (6%)
  • Sebastien Bourdais (33%)

Total Voters: 1,262

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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45 comments on “Who should Toro Rosso pick? (Poll)”

  1. TommyBellingham
    8th December 2008, 15:11

    Buemi and Bourdais. I don’t think Toro Rosso can learn names very well so they just buy Sebastiens :P

    I really hope Button doesn’t get the drive. He’s passed it and Toro Rosso should remain signing young new drivers.

  2. Sebastien Buemi & Sebastien Bourdais
    They should continue their trend of picking up Sebastiens.

  3. Tommy, how can you be past it at 28? Cheeky little scamp, back in my day we’d have had yer down coal mine for 2d a week.

    Rob (28 :)

  4. Button and Bourdais, both deserve at least one more go.

  5. I agree, Button and Bourdais.

  6. They can’t let Button go by; I’m sure that Jenson would rather race for peanuts than sit on the sidelines waiting for a buyer at Honda.

  7. Bruno Senna and Barrichelo!!
    They are cheap, combine new talent with experience and the name Senna could well bring some new sponsor money.
    Oh, yeah, and it would make the Braziliam crowd happy.
    After 2008 finnale, some good news wouldn’t do us any harm.

  8. For the first seat, Sato. We need him back in F1.

    For the second seat, I hope Buemi doesn’t get the drive, because he doesn’t really deserve it given the performance of other GP2 drivers like Pantano and di Grassi.

  9. Sato and Rubens.

    Button’s too expensive…

  10. Bordais, Sato – Bourdais has done enough to deserve another opportunity. I honestly feel Sato has got raw deal in BAR Days where Button was driver of choice and fundamental car design was with Button’s preference in mind. Sato delivered more from the Super Aguri Car and has fared better in recent tests. Sato and Bourdais can provide better technical insights than all drivers in contention.Barichello would be another driver who can bring more technical insight to the table, but so far he has not been involved in any testing for STR so wouldn’t comment much on that.

    Button has “smooth driving style” but time and again he has proved, he can’t work around the problems of car as has been noted by lots of paddock insiders. Barichello, has beaten him hands down, driving what possibly was the worst car from Honda since BAR days, that tells a lot about the Brit’s motivation level rather the lack of it …

  11. terrie cairnes
    8th December 2008, 17:35

    They should give the seat to Giorgio Pantano.He is a worthy GP2 champion and is skilled experienced and exciting to watch race.He should be judged solely on his skill and experience not his age
    Terrie

  12. Didn’t Giogio Pantano already have a chance at Jordon? I seem to remember him being really aweful.

    I’d go for Sato and Bourdais. I like Sato and I think he’s always been potentially very quick. He’s proved to be faster than Button on several occasions and he never fails to entertain. I think he just needs the kind of coaching Massa received to smooth out the rough edges. I like Bourdais too and it’s good to have a French driver in F1.

  13. Button is a problem. If the Honda is as good as they say, and the team is bought, then Button might be best off there, especially with Ross Brawn there. On the other hand I would hate to see someone who has shown talent be thrown away so early.

  14. Sato and Bourdais.
    Sato deserves another chance after his 2 years at Super Aguri and Bourdais has been better than his results show. With a bit more luck (Melbourne, Monza, Fuji,…) he might have at least 10 points more.
    Button doesn’t deserve the seat after his poor Ralf-Schumacher-style 2008 season. They should choose Barrichello over him.

  15. Lets not forget that Rubens is the only driver in there who has driven F1 cars with slick tyres and low downforce. I’d go with the old boy.

  16. Well, Bourdais has plenty of experience with slicks and lower downforce too. Bourdais definitely deserves another chance. I will be bitterly disappointed if he’s left on the sidelines next year.

    I would give the second seat to Sato. Buemi hasn’t really done anything to convince me that he genuinely deserves an F1 seat, especially when compared to the other drivers who are available for the seat.

    So, Bourdais and Sato!

  17. Button and Bourdais. I didn’t like Bourdais to begin with but as the season’s gone on he’s come across as someone who really, really wants to make the most of this opportunity and he seems like a nice guy.
    And Button because if Honda don’t find a buyer I don’t want him to miss the season cos he probably won’t get back in. He’s ruined his career by being so loyal as the team’s got worse and worse though so I think he’ll be there until there’s absolutely no chance of finding a buyer and then it’ll be too late.

  18. What about Davidson? I bet he’s cheap right now. Bloody good driver, and bloody good bloke.

  19. Sebastien Bourdais should definitely get a drive but I have no preference for the other seat.

    I would say not Barrichello or Button though, they should give it to a young driver, especially considering the resources they’ve (Red Bull) put into driver development in the last few years.

    Button will get another drive for next season regardless of the buyout of Honda, Rubens is past his best and should call it a day.

  20. Bourdais for sure, then either Button or Sato.

  21. Looking back to the kind of fiasco trying to sign Button seems to involve I’d leave him be if it was my team (but it’s not so….).

  22. TommyBellingham
    8th December 2008, 19:48

    Andrew – They tell Button every year he’ll have a good car…. and look what happens

  23. Sato and Buemi.

  24. Cameron aka. SkinBintin
    8th December 2008, 20:15

    I voted for Button and Sato. Both of which I’d like to see racing again next season.

  25. Just not too keen on whingers and Mr Bourdais, despite his mega experience, is certainly one of those…

    Sorry but he’s just not worth the seat…

  26. I was expecting Sato to do rather better in this poll but at the moment he’s edged into fourth by Bruno Senna.

    I voted for Bourdais and Button. I thought Bourdais showed promise with the STR2 but couldn’t get as much out of the STR3. I want to see what he can do on slicks. I’d give him a second chance before I gave Sato his third second chance.

    Buemi looked good in GP2 but I think a second year in the category would do him good – he only turned 20 in October. I also think Bruno Senna needs a bit more experience, if he does end up back at iSport next year it would be no bad thing. We’d certainly have an entertaining GP2 season!

    Andrew – I’d definitely like to see Davidson in the car (as with my Bourdais reasoning) but no-one seems to be interested in him.

  27. ScuderiaToroFerrari4Eva
    8th December 2008, 21:46

    Well me being a toro rosso fan i’d like to see button & sato bourdais is a nice guy people are saying he started to show some promise but i’m not too convinced yes people may argue that sato has made many chances before but this could be his revival take a fairly small team and propell it to the top him and button also if sato can bring in big japanese sponsors then str could be on the up and i have a gut feeling that next year they are gonna put the cat amongst the pigeons if ferrari supply them with an up to date horse in the back and with newey’s chassis they could just sping a surprise vettel’s spot will never be replaced though he was phenomenal as for the others senna & buemi(need another year in gp2) and rubens i think he wont get a seat anywhere he might aswell hang up his boots even though his still a good racer

  28. Bourdais & Sato.

    Bourdais for the sake of continuity within the team, and the fact that I don’t think he has hit his stride yet.

    Sato because he is a great guy, a real racer and entertaining to watch. I think he has settled down from his previous kamikaze ways and would be a real asset. And hey, if it helps him get a drive I’m sure he would change his name to Sebastian Sato ;)
    Plus would Honda continue to throw some $$$ Sato’s way? If STR are looking for sponsorship & Honda are willing to still provide some to Taku (or Sebu as I am now thinking of him as) then it would be a good fit.

    On no account should they give the drive to Button. Most overrated driver in the field if you ask me.

  29. I think Button is one of the most over-rated drivers I’ve seen since I began following F1. He’s a good, fine driver, but far from spetacular. As far as unfulfilled promisses are concerned, I’d rather have Jarno Trulli (that’s out of question) than Jenson Button. For Toro Rosso, Barrichello’s experience with a winning team and with Ferrari engines would be the best they could hope for…

    For the other seat, I’d also vote Bourdais…

  30. My heart says Rubinho. The guys a hero.

    My brain says Bourdais and Sato. Buemi… I’m still not convinced. And why Davidson isn’t in the running, I’ve no idea. Madness.

    Button and Senna will surely get the Prodrive/Campos/Carlin/Aston Martin/Citroen/Hyundai seats :)

  31. Marco Aurélio
    8th December 2008, 23:59

    equal condition Barrichello is hard to be beaten.

  32. I personally think that Bourdais and Barichello should be side by side next year at Toro Rosso. Just remember that Bourdais won lots of Cart Championships and Barichello is the most experianced man in F1 and has still got it. Maybe not to win a championship but a race. Look at the stunning performance in the wet at silverstone he gave now that’s got to be worth taking into consideration. Fair enough it was the ran that got him 3rd but never the less it’s always good having a wet whether specialist on board.

  33. Post 30 (Pete Walker) – Hope you’re right :)
    I do hope Buemi does not take Bourdais place..Bourdais had a depressingly unlucky season..

  34. Torro Roso should go for Sato and Senna..

    and swim in all the money like Uncle Scrooge :)

  35. Senna, to see if he is as good as he says he is, and Bourdais, because I think he will improve and mature in his second year…..

  36. terrie cairnes
    9th December 2008, 14:11

    Pantano did race for Jordan But i think his proved he can still be a great driver if you look at his achievements in GP2.I think they could at leat give him a test.It wouldnt hurt them to let him try.

  37. All you Bourdais supporters should note his results today against Buemi…. not impressive…

  38. Snowcat – I wouldn’t use off-season test times as a basis for comparisons between team mates unless the team explicitly said they’re in a shoot-out and running the same configurations at roughly the same time. Unless we’re looking at a group of test days where one driver has been consistently faster than another, and even then it’s dodgy ground. That said, I think Buemi’s got promise, I’d just rather see him in GP2 for another season first.

  39. But I think they have billed it as a shootout Keith….

    Hence my comment….

    Bourdais only has today and half of tomorrow before giving way to Mr Sato….

  40. Well I tried to find out on the Toro Rosso site but their link to the test report was broken. D’oh!

  41. Perhaps they are cost cutting….

    Let’s hope their car isn’t as fragile….

  42. Sato and Button, first choice, definitely

  43. button and senna

    they would be great at toro rosso

  44. i like bourdais but i would like to see jenson and senna have the drive.
    senna is young, fast and exciting and jenson is well ordering his last glass of moet at the last chance saloon.

    let the fireworks begin.

  45. PLEASE NOT JENSON NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    I like Toro Rosso :(

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