Leal racing for Trident in Abu Dhabi last month - Photo Credit: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service
Trident Racing have finalised their 2012 GP2 Series season lineup with the confirmation of Julian Leal's switch to the outfit.
Colombian driver Leal joins Stephane Richelmi in the Italian squad for next season, after both raced for the team at the Abu Dhabi Final last month.
Leal previously competed for Trident in Auto GP in 2010, before racing for Rapax in his debut GP2 campaign this year. He failed to score any points from his 24 starts in the category over the course of the year, claiming a best finish of ninth in the sprint races in Valencia and at the Nurbugring.
“I’m really satisfied with the deal reached with Trident Racing,” said Leal. “I know them really well after we raced together in 2010 and last autumn in Abu Dhabi. I’m sure we’ll be doing a great job together.
“This will be my second season in GP2. My goal is to take full advantage of the experience gained in 2011 and step on the podium as often as possible. It will be a first season in GP2 for my teammate, Stéphane Richelmi, but I’m aware that he can be pretty fast. I’m certain that by working closely together with him will help our engineers a lot.
“I want to thank my family, my sponsors and all my supporters for this opportunity. Of course, thanks also to Trident Racing for their trust. I hope to reward everybody by doing a good job on track.”
Leal and Richelmi replace Stefano Coletti and Rodolfo Gonzalez at Trident. While Gonzalez failed to score any points in 2011, Coletti took sprint race wins in Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Hungary.
