F1 legend wants 'kindergarten' team to return to grid

Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan has urged Red Bull to bring back their B-team’s Toro Rosso identity and end the F1 ‘destructive bottleneck.’

The defending champions have had two teams on the grid since 2006 when the team bought Minardi, rebranding the Faenza-based squad to Toro Rosso.

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Proving to be the final stepping stone for Red Bull’s junior talents before graduating to the main team, the team has produced world champions in Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, while other key drivers such as Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon have also come through the B-team.

Rebranded as AlphaTauri in 2020, the team have undergone another name change in Visa Cash App RB has they look to branch away from just being Red Bull’s junior team.

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Jordan: I wish it was still called Toro Rosso

The team have not produced a full-time F1 talent since Yuki Tsunoda debuted with the team in 2021, and speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, legendary team owner Jordan fumed over there being no rookies on the grid for the first time in history and urged Red Bull to bring back the Toro Rosso name.

“I just wish it was still Toro Rosso, because I’ll never forget when they won that grand prix at Monza with Vettel [in 2008],” he said.

“It put them on a different level. Just reflect on the great drivers that have come from there. Toro Rosso, for me, was the greatest kindergarten power – alongside Jordan in many respects – for giving young drivers their chance and letting them fly: grow their wings, learn to fly and move on to the next level. That’s what I enjoyed.

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He added: “I remember talking to [former Toro Rosso team principal] Franz Tost who used to work for Jordan – and I have the height of respect for this guy – and he used to tell me what enjoyment he used to get seeing these young drivers coming up through the ranks and then moving on to the full Red Bull team.

“We obviously saw what happened with Max, we saw what happened with Vettel – you just add the number of World Championships those two alone have won. They came from that team.

“I think it’s disturbing that there are no rookies.”

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