Alguersuari allegedly turned down an offer from Lotus for 2012
Jaime Alguersuari reportedly turned down an offer from the Lotus F1 team for the 2012 season, thinking he would remain with Toro Rosso.
The Lotus F1 team hired Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean for the 2012 season, but things could have been different. Indeed, according to El Mundo Deportivo, Jaime Alguersuari reportedly turned down an offer from the Enstone team at the end of 2011 because he was convinced he would remain with the Toro Rosso team that year.
According to the Spanish publication, Alguersuari was approached during the Brazilian Grand Prix to know if he would be available in 2012. He reportedly replied that he would be driving for Toro Rosso in 2012, in line with what Franz Tost and Helmut Marko had told him.
The 22-year-old Spanish driver ultimately found himself without a seat for 2012 after refusing to be the third driver for the Red Bull Racing team. He still remained in the F1 sphere after securing a position as a commentator with the British radio BBC.
He was subsequently confirmed as one of Pirelli’s test drivers, which will allow him to drive an F1 and not stay too far from a race seat.
Alguersuari is expected to drive the Renault R30 next month at the Jerez circuit in Spain for the start of testing conducted by Pirelli to test the tires that will be used in F1 during the 2013 season.
