Daniel Ricciardo has hinted Giorgio Ascanelli's successor at Toro Rosso could be announced imminently. With technical director Ascanelli absent and officially on "holiday" during the most recent German and Hungarian grands prix, we reported on July 21 that his role could be permanently filled by former Sauber man and 40-year-old Briton James Key.
"(I don't know) Whether it's something that will get resolved over the break," Australian news agency AAP quotes Toro Rosso driver Ricciardo as saying. "Maybe it (Ascanelli's departure) came at a good time and some time off and everyone can rethink. Maybe it will be good and, come to Spa, maybe everything will be normal again -- or there could be some changes," added Ricciardo.
Writing in Germany's Speed Week, Peter Hesseler suggested Key could start his new job at Toro Rosso on 1 September. Auto Motor und Sport suggests Ascanelli split with Toro Rosso following disagreements about team strategy and the development direction of the car.
After ousting its established drivers Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari last year, Toro Rosso has scored just 6 points so far in 2012 with newcomers Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. "Are the drivers too inexperienced, or is the car bad?" wondered Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "The truth is probably somewhere in the middle."
Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, the architect of Toro Rosso's new lineup, exonerated the drivers. "If it rains, they are quick," said the Austrian. "This shows that they are on it. The engineers went in the wrong direction with the development of the exhaust," said Marko. (GMM)
Key could arrive at Toro Rosso in September
- Published on 24 Aug 2012 16:29
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Why Steiner believes Aston Martin's F1 form is "unacceptable"Guenther Steiner has launched a scathing assessment of Aston Martin and Honda's 2025 performance, describing thei...
22 Jun 2026 16:12 -
Norris nears Hamilton's McLaren record with Prost in sightLando Norris stands just three podiums away from matching Lewis Hamilton's McLaren tally of 49, and with four Gra...
22 Jun 2026 17:14 -
Why Ocon isn't worried about Verstappen quitting F1Esteban Ocon has dismissed concerns that Max Verstappen could walk away from Formula 1 over the current power unit re...
22 Jun 2026 15:10 -
What Sainz just revealed about Verstappen's Red Bull contractCarlos Sainz has confirmed that Max Verstappen enjoys a contractual exemption from marketing and media obligations at...
22 Jun 2026 14:09 -
Why the European heatwave could disrupt the Austrian Grand PrixFormula 1 teams and drivers face significant operational challenges at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix as a Eu...
22 Jun 2026 13:07
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
Driver profile
- Team Visa Cash App RB
- Points 1,061
- Podiums 24
- Grand Prix 188
- Country AU
- Date of b. Jul 1 1989 (36)
- Place of b. Perth, AU
- Weight 64 kg
- Length 1.75 m
- 190,930 comments on Visa Cash App RB
24 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Daniel Ricciardo
Team profile
- Team name Sauber
- Base - Switzerland
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Kimi Räikkönen 7
- Felipe Massa 8
- Marcus Ericsson 9
- Nico Hülkenberg 11
- Felipe Nasr 12
- Esteban Gutierrez 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Kamui Kobayashi 14
- Sergio Perez 15
- Charles Leclerc 16
- Kamui Kobayashi 16
- Sergio Perez 17
- Kimi Räikkönen 17
- Esteban Gutierrez 21
- Kamui Kobayashi 23
- Guanyu Zhou 24
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Antonio Giovinazzi 36
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- Pascal Wehrlein 94
- Adrian Sutil 99
- 115,816 comments on Sauber
- 5 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Sauber
Replies (0)
Login to reply