A mature drive by the youthful Jaime Alguersuari cemented his first World Championship points in Formula 1.

The Spaniard, who began the race fourteenth, was all set for a solitary point in tenth position, before Fernando Alonso’s retirement doubled his tally. Teammate Sebastian Buemi finished one position outside the points in eleventh. The headlines however, will belong to Alguersuari, who picked off Rubens Barrichello and fellow rookie Nico Hulkenberg to consolidate his position in the top ten, and receive glowing praise from BBC Pundits David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan.

Following the disappointment of Bahrain, the team improved at Albert Park, but today’s showing, should show a level that Franz Tost’s team want to reach, as they showed their credentials, both attacking and defending; the pair held up the Ferraris of Massa and Alonso in the early going.

After last week’s battle with Michael Schumacher, the Toro Rosso team are already proving to be a wild card in the midfield. Any doubts about the readiness of Alguersuari will have been eradicated on today’s performance, but both himself and Buemi cannot rest on their laurels, and if they’re to be competitive in any form this year, stronger performances in qualifying will be imperative.

Before the team get too carried away, what must be taken into consideration is the poor qualifying of both the McLarens and Ferraris which allowed the STR5s to begin further forward on the grid, as well as early retirements of Petrov, Schumacher and Liuzzi, who would have all added a challenge for those crucial points. However, try telling that to the nineteen year old, who is sure to be celebrating all the way to China in two weeks.

On balance it was an excellent result for the team, even if the underlying performance didn’t set the world alight. Perhaps it’s being too critical on a team, who languished at the rear for the most part last season, and despite their break from Red Bull, have improved significantly in 2010.

What will discourage the Toro Rosso team is Buemi, whose fastest lap was 1.8 seconds quicker than his teammate, failed to make an impression on the top ten, and finished over five seconds short of Williams’ Hulkenberg. The Swiss youngster clearly has the pace, but whether he’s uncomfortable in a busy environment, or unable to turn that speed into pressure, could cost him in his aspiring F1 career.

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