Tech 1 Racing have confirmed that Andrea Caldarelli will join Tamas Pal Kiss and Aaro Vainio in the team's driver lineup for the 2011 GP3 Series season, as previously reported by The Checkered Flag.
Caldarelli finished third in Italian F3 in 2010, and then raced for Ocean in the 2011 GP2 Asia Series. Rather than try to continue in GP2, Caldarelli will race in its feeder series for Tech 1. He tested for the team at Silverstone last month.
The French team had been due to run Romanian racer Doru Sechelariu for a second consecutive season, but has been forced to withdraw from that deal.
“Doru Sechalariu and his management team were not able to fulfill all the necessary conditions to continue with us for a second season,” said team boss Simon Abadie. “We wish him good luck for the rest of his career. As a driver he made a lot of progress last season, and he has the right qualities to do a good job this year.”
“Even if Andrea Caldarelli is not yet fully accustomed to this car, he's the most experienced driver in the team this year – and he's only 21” said Abadie. “We're delighted to have him with us, and he's going to make a big contribution to the team in addition to being a good yardstick for his two team-mates as his skills speak for themselves.
“His experience in F3 in which he's already won races will be a big help. We're counting on him a lot. Our first test session together at Silverstone went off well. We've still got some time left till the start of the season, so we'll be ready to fight at the front right from the word go.”Hungarian driver Kiss and his management confirmed his participation with Tech 1 last month. “We're also very happy to have taken on Tamas Pal Kiss,” said Abadie. “He made a big impression on us in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup last season in Budapest. He's a pretty fiery driver, and after a good season in the top-level UK Formula Renault 2.0 Championship, he's everything to play for in the GP3 Series.
“Like Aaro, he's going to have to learn the ropes first of all. During winter testing, both Aaro and Tamas have shown that they'll be fighting at the front this season. We've got a good trio with whom we hope to achieve great things in GP3. Last season helped us to gather plenty of experience in this championship in which I hope we'll soon score our first victory. With Aaro Vainio, Tamas Pal Kiss and Andrea Caldarelli we've got three winning drivers in our squad.”
