Stefano Coletti will be replaced by fellow Monegasque driver Stephane Richelmi at Trident Racing for the GP2 Series season finale at Monza next weekend.
Coletti suffered a back injury in a crash during the last round at Spa-Francorchamps, which has ruled him out of the Monza meeting.
His place at Trident will be taken by his 21-year-old compatriot, who is currently racing in Formula Renault 3.5. Last year he finished runner-up in the Italian F3 Championship, a result that earned him a test in a Ferrari F1 car at Vallelunga last December.
“I’m taking this as a good chance to start my GP2 Series experience,” said Richelmi, who will partner regular driver Rodolfo Gonzalez in the team. “I don’t expect an easy weekend because I’ll be in a new car for me and I haven’t turned a single lap in it. I’ll be at Monza with no stress or strain, and I’ll try to do the best I possibly can.
“I hope to be helped by my experience at the racetrack, which is the last low-downforce one left. In this kind of configuration, the car should not be really different than the one I drove on the same circuit in the World Series, but it’ll be the clock that will confirm that. The chance given to me by Trident Racing is great to put myself at test, and after this weekend I’ll gather some valuable feedback I’ll be able to take advantage of while planning my 2012 program.”
Richelmi’s best result so far in Formula Renault 3.5 came at Monza back in May, when he finished seventh in the first race.
