So... JEV has confirmed that he will not be driving for STR next year. I've been friends with him on Facebook since his first race and have supported him since his days in the Red Bull Junior Team.
In 2012 he finished ahead of Ricciardo in the championship, although Ricciardo had more points finishes. In 2013 Ricciardo beat him in the championship, but Vergne achieved their highest finish of the season; 6th at the Canadian Grand Prix. In this season he has well and truly smashed Kvyatt in the championship, yet Kvyatt gets the drive at Red Bull.
Why does Kvyatt get a drive at Red Bull when he has only scored 8 points in his Formula One Career? I believe Vergne is a better racer than Ricciardo, whilst Ricciardo was a better qualifier. This has made me very disillusioned as a Toro Rosso and Red Bull Fan.
There is some speculation about Vergne's next movements. It is interesting that HE has announced that he will not drive for them next year, whilst he was still very much in the frame. It appears he will be the test driver for Williams, with the view of replacing Felipe Massa in 2016.
However, it's interesting that Vergne posted a picture of himself and Button on Facebook saying: "See you soon, buddy

"
Could Vergne be joining McLaren next year?
This raises the interesting question about Alonso next year. I don't think he is going to McLaren. What concrete evidence is there? Alonso announced earlier this year that his next move would seem obvious after he announces it. Being at the end of his career, as a man so desperate and well and truly deserves to win another World Title, why would he take a gamble with McLaren, who only had 2 podium finishes with the best performing engine? Why would he then take a gamble with an engine that's been out of the sport for a few years. It just doesn't make sense, and it is contrary to his character. For Alonso to join McLaren-Honda would be an even greater challenge than trying to bring Ferrari back to the front.
So perhaps Vergne is going to McLaren or Williams - and I know he is currently the most underrated F1 driver on the grid. I really hope we get to see more of this man, who put up a greater challenge to Ricciardo than a 4 time World Champion could. (That said, I still maintain that Vettel has had rotten luck this year).
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P.S.
By the way, this is my first post since Suzuka - did you miss me?

I don't know when I will next post, but rest assured I've still been lurking around and have enjoyed reading some of the posts. Obviously for me this season has been a lot more difficult to watch, as someone who's thoroughly enjoyed Vettel's dominance for the last 4 years. It's a shock to my system to see Ricciardo doing so well against him, and it's a shock to my system that a driver who I really don't like has won the championship this year - even though he thoroughly deserved it.
Now I'm watching F1 from the other side of the fence - the side where Hamilton and Alonso fans have been for the last 5 years or so; hoping for a change in regulations to even the field. Now the sport that I was madly in love with is not worth getting up at 2am for anymore. I also don't see a very sustainable future for the sport, and I suddenly want a lot of changes to take place. But yet I know that if Vettel was still winning races, I'd be as happy as Larry - it's funny thing that.
Also I have become very tired of reading some of the views that are expressed by a wide majority of the forum. I'm not going to mention it here, but the same themes keep presenting themselves. I've tried avoiding a lot of the threads which I know will annoy me, but they just seem to keep popping up everywhere. So that is another reason why I've been pretty quiet and will probably continue to shy away from posting so often.
So... until next time, whether that is tomorrow or when Vettel wins his 5th World Championship at Ferrari, I just want to say thanks to everyone who've made my time enjoyable here. Enjoy your off-season, and hopefully we catch up with the Mercs next year...
As to who I will be supporting? It's still a mystery, but for now I feel that I won't be supporting anyone next year. Will I be a neutral observer, or just disinterested? I don't know....