FAENZA, Italy -- Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr. will pair with Max Verstappen for the Formula One team Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2015, it was announced Friday.
The 20-year-old driver, who is the son of former two-time world rally champion Carlos Sainz, became the youngest winner of the World Series by Renault 3.5 Championship this year.
"I have been striving for so long (to drive in F1), since I started in karts when he was 10 years old," Sainz said. "From the moment I got into the car to participate in 3.5, I knew I had to win the championship to have any chance."
Team principal Franz Tost said "we continue the tradition of providing youngsters from the Red Bull junior driver program with their first steps in Formula 1."
Sainz Jr. tested with Toro Rosso last year.
Tost says "he really surprised me and his engineers that day, with his mature approach and his speed."
Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat drove for Toro Rosso this season.