Milton Keynes-based outfit's tester ready to push for a race seat at the squad, having risen up the ranks from lowly beginnings in a country not renowned for producing motorsport heroes.
Despite persistent speculation that Sebastian Vettel is set to graduate to Red Bull's senior team Red Bull Racing in 2009, another name in the frame to make the jump is Sébastian Buemí, who insists he is putting David Coulthard and Mark Webber under the most pressure possible as he bids to get his big time break.
The young Swiss star - RBR's official test and reserve driver - is currently competing in GP2, and finished a very creditable second in the inaugural Asia Series held from January to April this year, with four successive runner-up spots in the final four races cementing his position. Racing for Trust Team Arden, he now has his sights set firmly on going one better still in the main championship - and beyond that, he is adamant, up into F1.
"I am fighting to get their seats," Buemi told the Jamaica Cleaner's Automotives section when asked about Webber and Coulthard, "and they are under pressure to keep them. It is a very competitive atmosphere, and that keeps an edge between us, I guess. We keep it professional, though."
As to the principal differences between driving his GP2 mount and an F1 car - having sensationally set the third-quickest time on his maiden run in Red Bull Racing's RB3 during a major group test at Jerez last September - the 20-year-old pointed to a variety of adaptations to make, particularly in terms of the more sophisticated electronics in the top flight.
"For someone moving from a lesser car to F1, the driver aids take a bit of getting used to," he admitted. "I thought that the brakes or the power would be worlds away in Formula 1, but I found that the brakes in GP2 and the power are not that far off.
"The aero in F1, though, makes a lot of difference; it is possible to brake much harder into the corners because of it. Also, in the mid to high-speed corners, the F1 car is more stable, again because of aero.
"While the numbers are within shouting distance, you get that much more out of the F1 tub because you are able to use the power more effectively. The weight of the GP2 car is also greater, so transient manoeuvres like chicane work are better with the F1 chassis."
As to his startling career - which has seen him rise up the ranks from his fledgling steps in karting through Formula BMW, A1GP and the prestigious F3 Euroseries where, like in the GP2 Asia Series campaign, he again finished as overall runner-up to Romain Grosjean - Buemi said he had many reasons to thank Red Bull, especially coming from a nation that does not boast a particularly noteworthy motorsport heritage.
"Racing is not very big there," he confirmed. "Most of my younger days in karting were done in Switzerland, but there isn't much of a racing programme in Switzerland, so as I got more competitive I had to go abroad to find meets to participate in.
"It wasn't easy. I've been active in karts since the age of four, but it was more like a hobby then. My parents used it as measure to focus me when my schoolwork wasn't so good. Then at around age ten, I got competitive and had to compete in Italy to sharpen my skills, and then came the European championship.
"Academics have always been important to me, so it has always been a struggle to achieve balance. Between that and being a competitive racing driver was not easy. I have to thank Red Bull Racing for having been there when I needed them."
