Formula 1: Renault hire Fairuz Fauzy as reserve driver for 2011
It was recently revealed by Lotus Renault GP that Fairuz Fauzy is now a part of the team as their reserve/test driver for the 2011 Formula 1 season.
The Malaysian driver is quite obviously very happy with this outcome as he was struggling to find his way into one of the good teams of the sport. Fairuz was the reserve/test driver of Team Lotus in 2010 but left the team for 2011 despite the fact that he
had a five-year contract with them.
Many believe that Fauzy left Lotus mainly because of the issues between Team Lotus and Group Lotus and because Renault is a much better team than them.
“We will focus on Fairuz's progress and evaluate his capabilities to be a race driver for us,” Renault team boss Eric Boullier told the media.
The team currently has Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov as their full season drivers for the 2011 Formula 1 season. Fairuz claims that he will not disappoint Renault.
“I want to thank Lotus Renault GP for giving me this opportunity. It's a real honour to be part of a top team that has achieved so much in the sport and it's something any driver dreams about,” said Fairuz.
Fauzy hopes to perform at his best with the team and prove that he has the ability to challenge the top running drivers.
“It's feels especially exciting because of the new partnership with Lotus and I'm very proud to be here at the start of a new era for the team. It's also a great opportunity for me to improve as a driver and learn as much as I can about Formula One so that
hopefully one day I can be on the grid myself,” Fauzy added.
Other than this, Fauzy will also take part in the GP2 with Team Super Nova in 2011. His car is expected to feature significant Proton branding but he will have to race against ART team which is sponsored by Group Lotus, the same company that sponsors Lotus
Renault GP.
Signing with Renault is definitely a big step for Fauzy and it would be interesting to see how things change for the team after his arrival.
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