Valsecchi will soon have the opportunity to drive the Lotus
Davide Valsecchi recently revealed that he would soon be behind the wheel of the Lotus E21, not in an official capacity, but during aerodynamic tests planned by the Enstone team by the end of April. He is eager to get back into an F1 car.
Since the beginning of the season, Davide Valsecchi has been the third driver for the Lotus F1 team, alongside Nicolas Prost, who focuses more on development in the simulator, and Jérôme d’Ambrosio. The Italian driver, reigning GP2 Series champion, will soon have the opportunity to drive the Lotus E21, which has been so competitive since Melbourne.
As he confided on the official Enstone team site, he will have some time behind the wheel of the E21 during aerodynamic testing in April: « I molded my seat at the beginning of the [last week, ed] to be ready for some aerodynamic testing towards the end of April. It’s not really racing, but it means I’ll spend time in the car to get used to the different procedures, and of course, it’s always a pleasure to work with the team. Hopefully, I will be useful to them and maybe find a way to make the car even better on track! It’s always very enjoyable to be in a Formula 1 car, so I’m looking forward to it. »
Valsecchi, who experienced his 4th Grand Prix this weekend with the Lotus team, is delighted with his new role: « I really enjoy it; there is a good atmosphere in the team and we are aiming for exciting moments. Our performances on track have been very good, we are currently second in the drivers’ championship and third in the constructors’ championship [second finally after the Bahrain Grand Prix, editor’s note], and I think we are showing that we are really one of the leading teams this season. »
Even if he’s not driving during race weekends, he remains busy, indeed, he attends briefings alongside the two main drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean, and he’s also involved in the various sessions to be fully prepared in case he needs to step in: « Even if I’m not in the car, my weekends always end up being quite full! I attend all the engineers’ briefings with Kimi and Romain, and I’m also on the pit wall listening to the radio during the sessions to make sure I’m aware of everything that’s happening. It’s important for me because it helps me better understand what’s happening on track and it also helps me learn how to become a better driver. I also work a bit with an Italian television and of course I’m present at many of the team’s marketing events; when people need a driver to come and talk about the race, they call Davide Valsecchi! »
Even though he believes it’s not easy to have to sit and watch his teammates drive on track, he thinks that this role within the Lotus team could be a springboard towards a main driver seat in the future: « It’s not easy; every driver would like to be in the car and racing is what we love to do! Of course, I hope to be on the Formula 1 grid one day and I think it can happen, but for this season I have another important job to do for the team, so I’m gaining as much experience as possible, learning as much as I can, and I’ll see what happens in the future. »
