A young Belgian at Virgin Racing

The Virgin Racing team has just announced a change in its organization for the next four GPs. Indeed, in order to better evaluate its options for the next season, the young Jérôme D’Ambrosio has been offered a trial run, a sort of full-scale assessment.

The team’s management has made their decision, and D’Ambrosio will replace the Brazilian Lucas di Grassi for the first Friday practice sessions. The 25-year-old Belgian driver will take the Virgin seat starting from the first free practice session in Singapore. He will also be able to participate in Friday sessions on circuits in Japan, Korea, and Brazil. The young rookie, whose career is managed by Gravity Sport Management, is engaged in GP2, driving for Dams, and is also a reserve driver for the Renault F1 Team. He states: “My ultimate goal has always been to race in Formula 1, and I am thrilled to take this step. I want to thank Virgin Racing and Gravity Sport Management for their trust. I will not disappoint them… It’s a great opportunity, and I am eager to help the team as much as I can, as well as to gain experience on four of the most challenging tracks on the F1 calendar. Looking ahead to the 2011 season, this will be very useful.”

In order to better cover their backs, the Virgin officials made sure to point out that Glock still had two years remaining on his contract, and that the team still had an option on Di Grassi for the next season.

Virgin Racing’s boss, Graeme Lowdon, commented on this change: “We are very happy to welcome Jérôme to Virgin Racing and we look forward to giving him the opportunity to drive the VR-01 during the first practice session of the next GP, as well as for the next four race weekends. He will also take part in our young driver test in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season… The two main drivers (Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi) have done a remarkable job for our first season. We are always on the lookout for new talents in order to progress. We are staying true to the team’s original vision for the inception of Virgin Racing.”

Regarding the choice of the young Belgian, Lowdon states: Jérôme is a true competitor, he deserves this opportunity. We look forward to evaluating his performance starting next weekend in Singapore. With Jérôme and Luiz (Razia) supporting the team, we have two drivers with great potential, destined for a bright future.

The connection between a driver from Gravity Sport Management and Virgin Racing suggests that the idea goes beyond merely having the driver onboard the single-seater. GSM maintains very close ties with Renault. It is then quite easy to imagine that the young Virgin team would look very favorably on acquiring the French engine block.

When we know that Lotus managed to terminate its contract with Cosworth to sign a contract with the brand with the diamond, we think that this could set a precedent for other new teams.

What about Renault’s positioning? The coming weeks should reveal more about each other’s strategies, little by little, each day.