Sebastien Buemi is likely to remain with Toro Rosso beyond the end of this season, team boss Franz Tost indicated on Friday. While the Swiss rookie’s more experienced 2009 teammate Sebastien Bourdais has been ousted, Tost said he is happy with Buemi, who moved into formula one this year after finishing the 2008 GP2 championship sixth.

He said Buemi, the only newcomer on the 2009 grid, has had a tough introduction to formula one, coinciding with the total ban on in-season testing. “But you can’t have everything and while we are saving money through not testing, the downside is that young drivers will suffer,” said Austrian Tost, who will confirm Buemi’s new teammate within a few days. He added: “What we can say is that Buemi will be a much more complete driver for the 2010 season.”