By Andrew Cutler
January 5 2012
Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 came into being in late 2005, after Minardi F1 Team owner Paul Stoddart sold the long-struggling, though largely popular with the fans, back-marker squad to Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of the Red Bull energy drink business empire. STR's 'purpose', at least in the eyes of most, is to serve as the 'junior squad' to Red Bull Racing, giving young drivers a place to get acclimated to F1 & hone their skills before - hopefully - getting a call to move up to the 'big' squad.
Here is a year-by-year recap of Suderia Toro Rosso's F1 campaigns to date:
2006
DRIVERS: Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA), Scott Speed (USA)
BEST RESULT: 8th, Liuzzi, USA
POINTS: 1 // WCC RESULT: 9th
2007
DRIVERS: Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA), Scott Speed (USA) - 10 GPs, Sebastian Vettel (D) - 7 GPs
BEST RESULT: 4th, Vettel, China
POINTS: 8 // WCC RESULT: 7th (STR did not compete in Brazilian GP)
2008
DRIVERS: Sebastian Vettel (D), Sebastien Bourdais (F)
BEST RESULT: 1st, Vettel, Italy
POINTS: 39 // WCC RESULT: 6th
2009
DRIVERS: Sebastien Bourdais (F) - 9 GPs, Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) - 8 GPs, Sebastien Buemi (SUI)
BEST RESULT: 7th, Buemi, Australia & China
POINTS: 8 // WCC RESULT: 10th (STR did not compete in Brazilian GP)
2010
DRIVERS: Jaime Alguersuari (ESP), Sebastien Buemi (SUI)
BEST RESULT: 8th, Buemi, Canada
POINTS: 13 // WCC RESULT: 9th
2011
DRIVERS: Jaime Alguersuari (ESP), Sebastien Buemi (SUI)
BEST RESULT: 7th, Alguersuari, Italy & Korea
POINTS: 41 // WCC RESULT: 8th
2012
DRIVERS: Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA)
BEST RESULT: 8th, Vergne, Malaysia, Belgium, Korea & Brazil
POINTS: 26 // 9th in WCC