Jaime Alguersuari became the youngest-ever driver to compete in Formula One when he replaced Sebasiten Bourdais mid-2009 at Toro Rosso when he was just 19.
The Spaniard's motor racing career began in the usual karting arena before he moved on to single-seaters, finishing third in the Formula Junior 1600 Italy. The following season he won the Italian Formula Renault 2.0 Winter series, taking the step up to Formula Renault in 2007, achieving second place overall in the standings.
But it was in 2008 when Alguersuari really hit the headlines in the motorsport fraternity, claiming the British Formula Three crown when he snatched the title from the grasps of Carlin team-mates Oliver Turvey and Brendan Hartley in the final round of the Championship at Donington Park.
His impressive performances saw him move into the World Series by Renault, continuing with his British Formula Three Championship-winning team, Carlin Motorsport.
He also took on the role of reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso from fellow Red Bull Junior driver Hartley in the second half of the 2009 Formula One season, which put him in the driver's seat when Toro Rosso axed Bourdais.
Alguersuari was immediately called up to replace the Frenchman and made his F1 debut in Hungary, where he immediately entered the record books as the youngest-ever F1 driver at the age of 19 years and 125 days.
His debut, though, was anything but awe inspiring as his lack of experience was evident. Out of the eight races he competed in 2009, Jaime saw the chequered flag in just three with his best result being a P14 in Brazil.
But despite now shinning, Toro Rosso retained him for another season, giving the youngster a chance to learn the ropes and prove he has what it takes.
The Spaniard, a few pounds lighter following plenty of gym work in the off-season, and team-mate Sebastien Buemi were solid if unspectacular during the 2010 season. He showed how far he came in a few months at the Australian Grand Prix when he held of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher for 22 laps as he finished 11th. A race later and he finally picked up his first points in F1 after finishing ninth in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Another points finish followed at his home race in Spain with a 10th spot.
He found it tough to break the top 10 after that, but was generally consistent and was often there or thereabouts. He had only two retirements during the year. He finished the season on a high when he held off Ferrari's Felipe Massa for ninth place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which helped him to finish 19th in the Drivers' Championship.
With Toro Rosso more than happy with his performances, Alguersuari will get another opportunity in 2011 to continue his steady progress.
