Renault will test Giedo Van der Garde in Barcelona

Like previous winners, Giedo Van der Garde, the 2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion, will be rewarded with a test with the Renault F1 Team. This will take place on November 17 and 18, during the official tests organized at the Barcelona circuit (Spain).

The title clinched in the World Series at Estoril, after a well-executed season, allows Giedo Van der Garde to benefit from a test with the F1 team. Just like his predecessors, Robert Kubica, Alex Danielsson, and Alvaro Parente, this day offered to the 2008 Champion will allow him to discover Formula 1 in exceptional conditions.

Before that, the 23-year-old Dutchman will visit the Enstone factory on November 13, where the R28 chassis are notably manufactured. After molding his seat, he will meet with the engineers who will brief him on the testing session program. The Dutchman will thus be able to immerse himself in the unique atmosphere of a Formula 1 team. Then it’s off to Spain a few days later to join the whole team.

Giedo Van der Garde, currently preparing for his 2009 season, eagerly awaits this moment: « It’s a fantastic opportunity offered to me by Renault Sport Technologies and ING Renault F1 Team. Being able to test a Formula 1 in these conditions, with a team that is a double World Champion and has won two Grand Prix again this year, is ideal. »

« Returning to Enstone is special for me. I often went there to train when I was part of the Renault Driver Development program. So I will be seeing people I already know. This will help me integrate into the team more easily.

On the Catalunya circuit, Van der Garde will be operating in an environment he knows well. It’s a positive point to drive on a circuit where I’ve already done quite a few laps. But aboard a Formula 1, everything will be different. It’s another world! The essential thing for me will be to learn as much as possible. I’ll do everything to meet all the team’s expectations and perfectly execute the program that will be defined for me. I really can’t wait to be there!

Giedo Van der Garde was born on April 25, 1985, in Rhenen (Netherlands). Before his title in Formula Renault 3.5, he finished 6th in the World Series by Renault in 2007. That same year he tested Formula 1 cars during private testing sessions. One session with Spyker, and another, earlier the previous year, with Super-Aguri.

Formula 1 won’t be a discovery, but it will at least have the privilege of being in a top team.

Adapted from a Renault Sport press release