Wickens will replace d’Ambrosio at the Abu Dhabi tests

Like Romain Grosjean or Jean-Eric Vergne, Robert Wickens has been offered by the Marussia Virgin Racing team the opportunity to participate in the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next Friday.

The Canadian driver, champion of the World Series by Renault 3.5, ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne, has already been able to perform straight-line tests on the Italian track of Vairano last September. He will take the seat of the MVR-02 n°25 of Jérôme d’Ambrosio: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to test with the team during a race weekend and on a circuit like Abu Dhabi,” enthuses Wickens. “This season keeps getting better and better, and I can’t thank Marussia enough for their continued support. The straight-line test in Vairano was a good foundation for me, but the opportunity to do it again in free practice is obviously the next big step in my career, and I hope my feedback will be positive for the team there.”

For John Booth, the team principal of the British team, Wickens is only reaping a well-deserved reward: « Robert had a fantastic season in Formula Renault 3.5 and was the deserved winner of a closely contested championship. One of the founding principles of our young driver program was to reward success with significant track time to aid the progression of a rising star. »

Booth also believes that these tests should not hinder the smooth running of the Grand Prix: « Abu Dhabi is a circuit where Jérôme has good experience as he drove there under the same conditions a year ago and then in the subsequent young driver tests. Therefore, the Yas Marina circuit presents a better opportunity to offer this reward to Robert because it will have less impact on our program. We are also finalizing our team for this year’s young driver tests and will announce it this week, but once again, we are eager to put the next generation of talent to the test in what will be an assessment of their potential to advance to the highest level of motorsports. »