The new year has begun, and in the month of January, we continue our now classic Start Number column, appropriately starting the year with number 25 of Jean-Éric Vergne. We go back about a decade in time: at that moment, he was obstructing Max Verstappen in a unique way in Formula 1.
In the era when three-letter abbreviations of names in the Formula 1 standings became commonplace, ‘VER’ was logically quickly assigned to Jean-Éric Vergne. The Red Bull junior, better known to fans as JEV, later, however, stood in the way of Dutch super talent Max Verstappen. After Vergne drove for Toro Rosso between 2012 and 2015, the Frenchman disappeared from the grid. But his start number 25 did not – numbers are ‘kept’ for three seasons for the last person who drove with them. The abbreviation VER remains reserved for him for this reason.
And so, the world got to know Verstappen as ‘VES’. That is, in the early stages of his ultimately impressive career, the trio of letters that serve as an abbreviation for F1’s newest star in the firmament.
Vergne Must Step Aside
It was a close call, but the current ‘VER’ and the previous ‘VER’ could have been teammates. In 2015, Vergne learns after three seasons with Toro Rosso that Max Verstappen will be taking his place. Both Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat had already surpassed Vergne in the pecking order of Red Bull junior drivers. Dr. Helmut Marko wanted to make room for Verstappen as a young talent, so Vergne had to step aside. Kvyat was paired with Verstappen as his new teammate.
However, when Sebastian Vettel moved to Ferrari, Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull Racing, freeing up a spot for 2015. Could Vergne and Verstappen have been teammates? No, the Frenchman chose to leave, and Carlos Sainz became the other Toro Rosso driver.
Little to nothing was heard from Vergne in Formula 1 after that. He remained a test and development driver for Ferrari until early February 2017, but had already shifted his focus to other racing classes. He found success in Formula E, becoming one of the most well-known drivers of the past decade and winning the championship twice. This already surpasses his record in Formula 1, where his best finish was sixth place (Canada 2013, Singapore 2014).
