After being replaced at Red Bull junior team Scuderia Toro Rosso for this year, Jean Eric Vergne joined Ferrari as a development driver, although he's admitted he has his sights set on moving up to a race seat with the team for 2016 as speculation mounts as to Kimi Raikkonen's future with the team.
After being dropped from the Red Bull young driver set up Vergne salvaged a Ferrari development role this year, which will mostly include simulator work whilst former rival and Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez fills the third/reserve driver role for the team this year.
Despite only having a development driver role for the team this year, Vergne has stated publicly to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that he intends to fight for a race drive with Ferrari next year, as it seems at this moment that Kimi Raikkonen will retire at the end of this year. Vergne stated "I know I gave my best and that's why I have no regrets, and now I'm at Ferrari which is also a great opportunity for 2016. If I was not able to race this year, I think what I have is better than being at Caterham or Marussia and always being last."
Vergne is clearly looking to impress this year at Ferrari, and with Kimi Raikkonen seemingly going to retire at the end of the year a seat could well be up for grabs at Ferrari in 2016. With a year's experience within Ferrari he would likely have to fight off the likes of Esteban Gutierrez and outsiders such as Nico Hulkenberg or Romain Grosjean to become a Ferrari F1 driver for 2016.
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