Gerhard Berger has refused to comment on speculation that
Scuderia Toro Rosso is certain to lose
Sebastian Vettel next year, but the ten-time grand prix winner did acknowledge that should he go, the young German would leave a hard act to follow.
Vettel has produced a number of impressive performances so far in 2008, twice finishing inside the points, with back-to-back top eight finishes in Monaco and Montreal and running up in fourth place at one stage during the French Grand Prix last weekend.
Such showings – and, until Canada at least, the poor form evinced by
David Coulthard this season – have seemingly convinced
Red Bull Racing to promote the 20-year-old to the senior outfit in 2009, alongside Coulthard's current team-mate
Mark Webber.
“I know his contractual situation of course, but there is no hurry,”
STR co-owner Berger told
sportnet.at. “More, I cannot say right now.”
The Austrian also moved to stress that whilst he would give priority to drivers already within the Red Bull fold in the guise of the company's young driver support programme, he foresees no one ready to step into the void just yet.
“At first we would always look within Red Bull to see if there is anyone there,” the 48-year-old underlined, “but currently there is no-one ready for
Formula 1.”
Should Coulthard indeed step down from driving duties at the end of the current campaign as is widely believed will happen, the vastly experienced Scot has been linked to both a management role at Milton Keynes-based RBR, or a spot as a pundit on
BBC's F1 coverage.
