2011 end of term report – Jaime Alguersuari

Jaime Alguersuari contested his second full season in Formula One in 2011 and is one of the youngest drivers on the grid. The 21 year-old is still driving for Toro Rosso and performed strongly this season.

Season review

Unlike his teammate Sébastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari had a difficult start to the season. He was consistently slower than the Swiss driver, except in China where he qualified in a brilliant 7th position – but he retired from the race with a loose wheel.

His disappointing form led to uncertainty over his future within the Italian team. Annoyed by the questions and rumours, the Spaniard reacted well and did his talking on track. He finished 8th in Canada, having started from 18th on the grid. He equaled his best-ever result in F1 two weeks later at Valencia. He went on to score more points in Great-Britain and Hungary.

In Belgium, Alguersuari shone in qualifying and started the race in 6th place. Unfortunately, his race was ruined in the first corner by Bruno Senna. Conversely, he qualified poorly in Italy but raced to a stunning 7th place finish. He did it again in Korea and impressed with a brilliant last-lap move on Nico Rosberg.

He scored two more points in India and totaled 26 at the end of the season.

Conclusion

Jaime Alguersuari struggled at the start of the season but the tide turned in his favor from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards. Solid in races, he consistently scored points and passed his Toro Rosso teammate in the standings.

Despite his strong showing, the Spaniard is still waiting for confirmation he will be driving again for STR next year. The Italian team is reliant upon Red Bull’s Helmut Marko’s decision. Both Alguersuari and Buemi could stay on… or could be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Highs
—  Improved significantly during the second part of the season
—  Can create surprises
—  Took the advantage over Buemi

Lows
—  Makes mistakes
—  Struggled at the start of the season
—  Needs to be more consistent in qualifying

Nextgen-Auto.com marks:
— Olivier Ferret : 12/20
— D.Thys : 15/20
— Sandrine Bouchard : 14/20
— Jean-Michel Setbon : 13/20
— Average mark on the forum Nextgen-Auto.com : 13/20
—  Total : 67/100