Formula 1: Toro Rosso likely waiting to sign Dan Ticktum

With Scuderia Toro Rosso likely signing Daniil Kvyat for the 2019 Formula 1 season, they are also likely waiting to sign Dan Ticktum.

One of Scuderia Toro Rosso’s two current drivers, Pierre Gasly, has been confirmed as the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

Toro Rosso’s other driver, Brendon Hartley, will likely not be returning to the Red Bull Racing junior team next year because of the fact that his first full season in the sport has not been impressive, as his best finishes are his two 10th place finishes. He sits in 19th place out of 20 drivers in the standings with just two points.

As a result, the Italian team will likely have to sign two new drivers for next season. One of those drivers will likely be Daniil Kvyat, who has not driven in Formula 1 since last season but drove for Toro Rosso in 51 of the 72 races in which he has competed in the sport so far.

It will likely be confirmed this weekend, the weekend of the Russian Grand Prix, that the 24-year-old Russian will return to the team next year. However, while this announcement is slated to come this weekend, there is apparently no rush for the team to confirm who their second driver will be.

Here is what Red Bull Racing team advisor Helmut Marko had to say about the matter, according to Wheels24.

"“We are currently planning to announce one driver in Sochi. It’s important to get one driver contract done quickly. There is not such a hurry to fill the other cockpit. We can even wait until winter testing.”"

With Formula 3 European Championship driver Dan Ticktum having been discussed as a possible candidate for Toro Rosso to sign for next season but not currently having enough points on his FIA Super License for them to do so, could the Faenza-based team simply be waiting for him to get enough points so that they can sign him as opposed to somebody else?

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The 19-year-old Briton currently sits in second place in the Formula 3 European Championship driver standings with four victories through the season’s first 27 races. He trails only Mick Schumacher, who recently won five consecutive races to take away Ticktum’s lead in the standings, but Toro Rosso reportedly have no interest in signing the 19-year-old German.

Even if Ticktum wins the Formula 3 European Championship this year, he will not have enough points on his FIA Super Licence to be able to drive in Formula 1 next year. However, he could potentially get enough points to do so by competing in the Winter Series of the Formula 3 Asian Championship, which is set to take place between January and February of 2019.

With Marko having admitted that Toro Rosso are willing to wait until winter testing to sign their second driver for the 2019 season, all signs point to that second driver being Ticktum, especially given the fact that he has been in the mix to be signed by them for quite some time.

Will Toro Rosso do what many people expect them to do and sign Dan Ticktum for the 2019 Formula 1 season? If not, who will their second driver be for next year?