Sauber and Virgin sign new test drivers
Sauber and Virgin revealed that two new test drivers have been signed for the rest of the season and into 2011. GP2 driver Jerome D’Ambrosio of Belgium has signed up with Virgin, while Sauber has added
Esteban Gutierrez of Mexico.
19-year-old Gutierrez caught Sauber's attention with his victory of the first GP3 series, and the team is delighted to have a young hopeful on board. “Esteban is extremely mature for his age and we are
confident he will continue to develop strongly...with his modest manner and keen desire to learn, he has also made himself very popular among the team.” Team boss Peter Sauber stated.
Gutierrez added, “I'm really grateful to Peter Sauber for his confidence in me and my ability.”
Sauber has made a few changes this season, replacing Pedro de la Rosa with veteran racer Nick Heidfeld for the remaining five races, and resigning Kamui Kobayashi for the 2011 season. They have yet to
announce his permanent teammate.
For Virgin, their new signing is a flourishing rookie who they hope can break into the F1 game with potential. The 25-year-old D'Ambrosio has four seasons of experience with the GP2 feeder series and has
worked as a test and reserve driver for Renault. He will have the chance to participate in the young driver test sessions at Abu Dhabi in November. Partnering up with current test driver Luiz Razia, D’Ambrosio expressed, “This drive is a fantastic opportunity
and I am looking forward to helping the team in every way I can. My ultimate goal has always been to race in Formula 1 and I am delighted to get a step closer. Looking at the 2011 season, this will be very useful. Also I will be very proud to wear the Belgian
colours on my helmet during these official practice sessions, as it means a lot to me.”
Graeme Lowdon, Virgin Racing chief executive, stated, “We are always looking to progress new racing talent and the team out of which Virgin Racing was born has a long history of this. Jerome is a real
racer and very deserving of the opportunity.”
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