Dec.4 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo impressed the F1 world by setting the Jerez circuit's fastest lap of the entire year on Thursday as the Young Driver session concluded.
At the wheel of what is arguably the fastest car in formula one at present - the Red Bull - the 20-year-old Australian's dominant pace also marked an end to the sport's limited testing programme for 2009.Riccardo, the reigning British F3 champion, was easily quicker than Thursday's entire field of 15 fellow hopefuls in Spain, leaving him in prime position to be the team's reserve driver for the 2010 season.Also likely to secure a reserve driver role next year is the Mercedes-contracted DTM driver Paul di Resta."I'd love to go straight into a race seat, but you have to be realistic these days," said the 23-year-old Scot.Further down the time sheets for Toro Rosso were the Red Bull hopefuls Brendon Hartley and Mirko Bortolotti, but team boss Franz Tost played down rumours they are vying to replace 2009 race driver Jaime Alguersuari."They are talented and if they do well in other racing categories in 2010, I think they have a good chance of being up to the required standard to make it into formula one in 2011," he said.
