Toro Rosso have confirmed that Jaime Alguersuari will partner Sebastien Buemi this coming season.
Spaniard retained for 2010 season
Toro Rosso have confirmed that teenager Jaime Alguersuari will once again partner Sebastien Buemi this season.
The Spaniard, who turns 20 in March, joined the team as a replacement for Sebastien Bourdais at last year's Hungarian Grand Prix - making him the youngest driver in Formula One history to start a race.
Eyebrows were raised at the decision because Alguersuari was handed the drive despite having had no prior running in the car owing to Formula One's testing ban.
However, although the 2008 British Formula Three champion failed to score a point in his eight races and suffered five retirements - including a sizeable accident in the Japanese Grand Prix - Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost is happy to give Alguersuari a full season.
"Considering that he made his debut only halfway through 2009, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with no prior testing, he did a good job, making steady progress throughout the second half of the year, with a mature approach considering he is still only nineteen years old," Tost said.
"This season, he will again face a steep learning curve, as all the circuits in the first part of the season will be new to him. Jaime's appointment also confirms our team's commitment to bringing on graduates of the Red Bull Young Driver Programme."
The Red Bull-backed team propped up the table in last season's Constructors' Championship, earning a total of eight points.