After talking about the big stories and ranking our Top 10 drivers from the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship season, my colleague Chris Estrada and I are taking a look back on how each of the 23 Formula One drivers who took to the grid fared this past year.
Turning in a 15th-place result this year was Toro Rosso’s Frenchman, Jean-Eric Vergne…
JEAN-ERIC VERGNE
No. 18 Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari
2013 Stats: 15th Place, 0 Wins, 0 Podiums, 0 Top-5, 3 Top-10s, 0 Laps Led
Average Start: 13.4
Average Finish: 14.8
DNFs: 5
DiZinno says: Vergne’s second season in Formula One was about on par with his first: one or two really good drives and the rest either involving mistakes, poor luck, or a combination of both. With five official retirements and a sixth failure to finish when he retired inside the final 10 laps, Vergne had the worst finishing record of the year but it’s hard to fault him for the mechanical errors. His run of form at Monaco and Canada was excellent, but he was unable to carry it through in further races. We’ll see how he handles rookie teammate Daniil Kvyat next year.
Estrada says: Outside of a few races, Vergne’s year didn’t play out very well. On top of being beaten by Toro Rosso teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the second Red Bull seat, he had to endure through multiple DNFs – some of which came through failures not of his doing – and didn’t hit the points again following his season-high finish of sixth in Canada. That sets him up for what must be considered a make-or-break season in 2014. Taking down GP3 champ Daniil Kvyat is essential for Vergne to continue his career in Formula One.
