Jean-Eric Vergne has said that he is not out of the running for the 2014 Red Bull Racing drive just yet but that he needs to perform at a more consistent level and impress the right people if he wants people to take notice.
He spoke to reporters at a World Series by Renault event where he was driving in a demo for Red Bull. It was no test session run like is team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was gifted with at Silverstone last week but the Toro Rosso driver has admitted that he is not out of contention.
Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo were singled out by Red Bull boss Christian Horner last week as the two main contenders, the Finn and Aussie in a two-horse race for the seat. However Vergne disagrees.
Speaking to AUTOSPORT in Spielberg he said: "I still believe in my chances. There is of course a chance. I would love to drive for Red Bull."
However at the moment he is concentrating fully on his season with Toro Rosso. "But so far it makes no sense for me to think about it. It won't help me. I don't want to think about anything for next year, any chance that I could go to Red Bull Racing whatsoever.
"You lose focus, and you lose some energy, so I want to keep it all for this year with Toro Rosso."
He also commented on the speculation and boost in media coverage of Ricciardo after it was announced that he would test for Red Bull at the Young Driver Test, saying that he understands why: "It's been a big story for him of course, it's normal."
The run by Ricciardo will be used to not only access his performance but also Vergne's indirectly too.
If the decision is already made, Vergne hopes a driver from the Red Bull programme will make the step up: "If they have made their mind up that it should be between Daniel and Raikkonen, I would definitely prefer Daniel go go there."
He added: "That is quite good for me because I can beat him. I did it this year when I didn't have problems. Then I just have to show the right people that it was not a one-off."
The Frenchman had a strong run in Canada and performed well in Monaco too but his year has lacked consistency. He puts it down to bad luck and is hoping to repeat his performances from Montreal and the streets of Monte Carlo during the remainder of the year: "I've been massively unlucky this year. Obviously not everybody can see it, and maybe some people don't want to see it, they just want to see the result, which I understand.
"But the facts are there. Hopefully from Budapest the problems will leave me alone and I will get some good results like I did in Monaco and Canada."
He continued, saying that the team "knows I can do it" and that he "could have done many races like Monaco and Canada" if he had not experienced that bad luck.
Vergne currently sits 13th in the drivers standings with 13 points, two more than team-mate Ricciardo whom he is one position ahead of.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo were singled out by Red Bull boss Christian Horner last week as the two main contenders, the Finn and Aussie in a two-horse race for the seat. However Vergne disagrees.
Speaking to AUTOSPORT in Spielberg he said: "I still believe in my chances. There is of course a chance. I would love to drive for Red Bull."
However at the moment he is concentrating fully on his season with Toro Rosso. "But so far it makes no sense for me to think about it. It won't help me. I don't want to think about anything for next year, any chance that I could go to Red Bull Racing whatsoever.
"You lose focus, and you lose some energy, so I want to keep it all for this year with Toro Rosso."
He also commented on the speculation and boost in media coverage of Ricciardo after it was announced that he would test for Red Bull at the Young Driver Test, saying that he understands why: "It's been a big story for him of course, it's normal."
The run by Ricciardo will be used to not only access his performance but also Vergne's indirectly too.
If the decision is already made, Vergne hopes a driver from the Red Bull programme will make the step up: "If they have made their mind up that it should be between Daniel and Raikkonen, I would definitely prefer Daniel go go there."
He added: "That is quite good for me because I can beat him. I did it this year when I didn't have problems. Then I just have to show the right people that it was not a one-off."
The Frenchman had a strong run in Canada and performed well in Monaco too but his year has lacked consistency. He puts it down to bad luck and is hoping to repeat his performances from Montreal and the streets of Monte Carlo during the remainder of the year: "I've been massively unlucky this year. Obviously not everybody can see it, and maybe some people don't want to see it, they just want to see the result, which I understand.
"But the facts are there. Hopefully from Budapest the problems will leave me alone and I will get some good results like I did in Monaco and Canada."
He continued, saying that the team "knows I can do it" and that he "could have done many races like Monaco and Canada" if he had not experienced that bad luck.
Vergne currently sits 13th in the drivers standings with 13 points, two more than team-mate Ricciardo whom he is one position ahead of.
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