(Francois Flamand - DPPI - Renault Sport F1)
Jenson Button is celebrating his 250th Grand Prix start this evening at the Bahrain GrandPrix. However he is not the only one reaching a milestone this weekend as today's night race marks the Toro Rosso Formula One team's 150th Grand Prix start since they took over the Minardi F1 Team.
The Italian team, who are the junior outfit to reigning world champions Red Bull Racing made their Formula One debut at this very circuit with Italian driver Vitantonio Liuzzi and American Scott Speed so this weekend it is a case of going back to where the adventure began.
The Italian team have been responsible for bringing a number of driver's into Formula One like Sebastian Buemi who is now Red Bull Racing test and reserve driver. In their first season in Formula One the team were powered by Cosworth, an engine deal that they inherited from the Minardi team. They ended the 2006 season in 9th in the Constructors championship with a single point.
For 2007, the team's driver line-up remained the same with Speed and Liuzzi once again driving for the team. However following his horrendous crash at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was side-lined for the following race in the United States and was replaced by a young German driver by the name of Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel secured a point in his first ever race in Formula One with an 8th place finish. Kubica was back for the following race in France and Vettel went back to be the BMW Sauber test driver.
However at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, the German got the from Toro Rosso, the Red Bull backed driver replaced the under performing Scott Speed. In 2008, Liuzzi was replaced by Sebastian Buemi who drove alongside Vettel and this season proved to be a breakthrough year for the Italian team and indeed for Sebastian Vettel.
At their home race, the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, not only did Vettel take pole position in the wet but he went on to secure the team's first win and indeed their first podium finish. The Red Bull Racing team took note of this and hired Vettel for the 2009 season to replace the retiring David Coulthard.
His place at Toro Rosso was taken by another Sebastian. Former CART champion Sebastian Bourdais joined Sebastian Buemi at the team however by the German GrandPrix that year Bourdais had already been replaced by Jaime Alguersuari following a string of poor results for the American.
That year the Italian team finished the season in 10th place in the Constructors championship on 8 point's.
For 2010, following the introduction of the three new team's, Toro Rosso finished the season in 9th place in the Constructors champion. They kept the same driver line-up of Buemi and Alguersuari.
The 2011 season proved to be the teams most successful season since entering Formula One as they scored 44 point's on their way to 8th in the Constructors championship. In 2012, it was all change at the team as Jean Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo joined the team. Ricciardo having previously driven to HRT with Red Bull backing. n 2012, the team scored 26 point's on their way to 9th in the Constructors championship.
Last season, Jean Eric Vergne remained at the team and at the British Grand Prix, Mark Webber announced that he would retire from Formula One at the end of the season and this meant that there was a seat available alongside Sebastian Vettel at the reigning world champions.
It was a straight fight between the Toro Rosso pair for the seat with Daniel Riciardo getting the nod ahead of Vergne.
This season, the team have a new Russian rookie called Daniil Kvyat, who has immediately impressed scoring point's in his first two race's in Formula One. He will start today's Bahrain GrandPrix from 12th on the grid while Jean Eric Vergne will start from 14th.
Paddock Eye would like to wish Toro Rosso the best of luck for the race today.
©Ben Johnston 2014
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