Scuderia Toro Rosso is pleased to announce that Sébastien Buemiwill drive for the team in the 2009 Formula 1 season.

The  twenty  year  old  from  Aigle,  Switzerland  competed  in  GP2  lastyear, when he was also the reserve driver for our sister team, RedBull Racing. For most of his racing career, he has been supported byRed Bull as part of its Junior Driver programme.

Team   Principal,   Franz  Tost   commented:   "We   are   delighted   towelcome Sébastien, who was already part of the Red Bull family, toour team. Our engineers have been impressed with his speed in thecar  and  his  ability  to  learn  and  progress  during  the  testing  he  hascarried  out  for  us  last  year.  That,  along  with  some  impressiveperformances  in  GP2  was  enough  to  convince  us  to  give  him  thedrive.  His  appointment  also  fulfils  the  aims  of  the  Red  Bull  JuniorDriver programme and  meets Dietrich  Mateschitz's  intention  to useScuderia Toro Rosso as a showcase for young drivers the companyhas supported in the lower formulae."

"I am naturally very happy to be driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso thisyear," said Sébastien Buemi. "Being a Formula 1 driver has alwaysbeen my  target, since  I first started  racing.  This  year,  I  will  do  all Ican  to  bring  home  the  best  possible  results  and  to  show  Red  Bullthat  the  confidence  it  has  shown  in  me  is  justified.  I  want  to  thankRed Bull for this opportunity and for all the help they have given mein my career, dating back to 2005."

Sébastien's  first  track  outing  as  an  official  Scuderia  Toro  Rossodriver  will  be  at  the  test  session  held  at  the  Portimao  Circuit  inPortugal  later  this  month.  An  announcement  about  who  will  beBuemi's team-mate will be made at some point before the AustralianGrand Prix!