And even though Australia's “new kid on the block” Daniel Ricciardo is knocking on the doors of stardom at Faenza, Buemi doesn't seem at all bothered by the pressure he has to race with this year. As far as the 22-year old is concerned, as long as he keeps beating his teammate race in and out, his place at STR, and consequently in F1, is secured.
“I'm calm, because regardless of results I've always done my maximum, and compared to my team-mate I've never done badly,” admitted Buemi in a recent interview with Italy's Autosprint magazine, as quoted by Autosport.
“Also last year, despite not being the easiest for me, in the end I scored more than him and overall I did better than him in qualifying too. It's clear that at the end of last season I had some problems, I wasn't satisfied with my work, but I've worked hard over the winter and 2011 has started well.”
“Red Bull gives young drivers a chance to get into F1, so you always know that besides you there are other guys that try to show their abilities and aim to drive for Red Bull. If you give up, it's over for you.”
Doing better than his teammate in 2011 doesn't only guarantee a place in STR's 2012 lineup, but it may also lead to a promotion to bigger sister Red Bull Racing, should the Austrian outfit decide not to renew Mark Webber's contract for an additional year. However, while Alguersuari went public on the matter, saying that he aims for Webber's job next year, Buemi takes a more down to earth, low-profiled approach this season.
“These rumors are not about me, it's about stuff still far off. It's not up to me whether Webber carries on or not. From my point of view I know that if I do my maximum and get important results, then my value can increase and I can have a chance. I focus on this. The rest is just gossip.”
Google News