Gonzalez gets FP1 outing in Bahrain

The Marussia F1 Team are up and running in Bahrain ready for Round 4 of the Formula 1 World Championship, taking place in the Kingdom this weekend within a week of the last race in China.

This race takes the sport to the third Hermann Tilke-designed circuit of the 2013 calendar - a challenge comprised not only of demanding circuit characteristics but also the intense heat, often gusty conditions out on track and the resulting fine layer of sand which contributes to a constantly evolving grip level.

This weekend the Team welcomes its Reserve Driver Rodolfo Gonzalez to the MR02 for the first foray of his scheduled FP1 participation at several races this season. On this occasion he will take over the MR02-02 of Jules Bianchi, who will return to the cockpit for FP2.

Rodolfo Gonzalez, Reserve Driver: “I’m really happy with this opportunity to drive in my first FP1 session of the season. It will be a nice feeling to be back in a car – especially to drive a Formula 1 car again – and with my previous F1 experience I feel more than comfortable and ready. I love this circuit; it will be quite dusty in FP1 but it’s also good fun and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve. I would like to thank the Team for their faith in me. They have made me feel so welcome and have bent over backwards to involve me in every aspect of the racing.”

John Booth, Team Principal, Marussia F1 Team: “We are pleased to welcome our Reserve Driver Rodolfo Gonzalez to the car for his first FP1 session of the season. On this occasion he will take over from Jules for the morning but we will see him taking part in this session at several of the races this season and we will alternate between the two cars. We wish him well and look forward to getting our first opportunity to gauge his performance level in the MR02.”