Official: Lotterer replaces Kobayashi at Spa for Caterham F1

Kamui Kobayashi was on the hot seat, but the blow didn’t necessarily come from where it was expected: André Lotterer will be lined up by Caterham F1 in place of the Japanese driver for the Belgian Grand Prix.

The last time the German driver was close to F1 was in 2002 when he was the test driver for the Jaguar Racing team – which has since become Red Bull Racing. Lotterer expressed his delight at participating in a F1 Grand Prix, especially at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit: « I am thrilled to be offered the opportunity to take part in a Formula 1 race weekend – I would like to thank Caterham F1 for this chance. […] I really love racing on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, it’s one of my favorite tracks and it’s close to my hometown, which makes this weekend even more special. »

Lotterer is thrown into the deep end by the Caterham team and he will have a lot to do this weekend, between learning the car, acclimating with the team, and testing the new updates introduced, but he feels ready to take on this challenge: « I am ready for this challenge and I can’t wait to get in the car and make the most of the upcoming weekend. I will need to quickly get used to the car, as the team has worked on a lot of new developments and we will need as much track time as possible to optimize the car’s performance. »

Even if Kobayashi is replaced by Lotterer in Belgium, he remains a full member of the Caterham F1 team and he could regain his position in the upcoming races, as the team suggests in its press release for the Belgian GP: « Lotterer will replace Kamui Kobayashi for this round of the championship. However, the Japanese driver retains his place within the team. »

More information to follow…