Lotus: Charles Pic becomes 3rd driver
Charles Pic joins Lotus F1 Team as the third driver, alongside Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, who are the full-time drivers for the upcoming season.
After being let go by Caterham this winter, Charles Pic has found where to bounce back: he will be the third driver at Lotus F1, where he will participate in the development of the Lotus E22 using the simulator. He will also be at the Grand Prix to take part in the team’s activities and – why not – substitute one of the two main drivers if needed. He replaces Davide Valsecchi in this role.
The official announcement of this news took place right after the end of the second day of private testing in Bahrain, during a photo session with Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado as well as Nicolas Prost and Marco Sorensen, the team’s reserve drivers, around the Lotus E22.
I am very excited to join a leading team and Lotus F1 has definitely shown they are a top team in this sport, stated the 24-year-old Frenchman. It’s a huge honor for me and I will work hard to give my best to the team throughout the season. Obviously, the big change is that I won’t be racing in Formula 1, but I will be at the races and working in the meetings, which will help me progress as a driver. In terms of resources, Lotus has fantastic facilities at Enstone, and the people there have the experience of winning championships. I will spend a lot of time with the team and hope to learn a lot from them.
In the morning, Lotus and Renault announced the extension of their partnership for the supply of V6 Turbo engines in /f1/actualite/16973-essais-bahrein-1-jour-2-magnussen-et-mclaren-en-tete-devant-hulkenberg-et-alonso.html and further.
