Rodolfo Gonzalez was among the backmarkers during Sunday's GP2 sprint race in Bahrain - Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/GP2 Media Service
GP2 driver Rodolfo Gonzalez will join Caterham‘s regular race drivers at the upcoming Mugello test, the team have today announced.
The Venezuelan will be in the car on 1st May, the opening day of the test session, before handing it over to Vitaly Petrov. The Russian will have the whole of the second day in the car, and Heikki Kovalainen will drive on the final day at the Italian circuit.
“I am very excited about getting back into an F1 car at the Mugello test, and want to thank Caterham F1 Team for this opportunity,” said Gonzalez. “It will be my third time in an F1 car with this team and it will be another good chance for me to further my experience at the top level of global motorsport.
“I took part in the young driver tests in 2010 and 2011 with the team, so to be able to help their development programme mid-season is another good step in my career and something that I can take lessons from back into my GP2 season with Caterham Racing.”
Riad Asmat, Caterham Group Chief Executive Officer, explained the team’s thinking behind the decision: “Rodolfo is developing well and we are very pleased we are playing an active role in his growth as a driver,” he said.
“He did a good job for us when he took part in the young driver tests, and we expect him to work to the plans he is given, deliver what we ask him to on track, and provide the engineers with the sort of feedback someone with his experience should. His day with the F1 team in Mugello will also help his ongoing development in GP2 and that will be good news for Caterham Racing, so for everyone involved this is good news.”
