Jerome D’Ambrosio confirmed for Monza

Jerome D’Ambrosio has been officially confirmed as the replacement driver for the banned Romain Grosjean for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, after the Frenchman was issued a one race ban for causing the huge first corner pile-up at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. This will be D’Ambrosio’s first F1 appearance since last season.

The Belgian driver became the Lotus reserve driver after being dropped by Virgin Racing (later rebranded as Marussia) shortly after the end of the 2011 season. D’Ambrosio partook in several days of pre-season testing for the outfit, and this weekend has the opportunity to impress in a highly competitive car alongside a former World Champion.

Romain Grosjean will return for the Singapore Grand Prix later this month, as the Lotus outfit search for their elusive first victory of the season. The team have finished on the podium on numerous occasions this season, and will unquestionably be expecting Jerome D’Ambrosio to at least finish in the points around a circuit that should suit the Renault powered Lotus E20.

Eric Boullier, Team Principal: "When we signed Jérôme as our third driver we signed a man
who is highly motivated, fresh, talented and who contested the full 2011 season. We hope
that this will pay dividends when he drives the car this weekend in Monza. We know that
Jérôme is well integrated into the team and that he did a good job when he drove the E20
at the Mugello test. Now he has the challenge of a Grand Prix at the challenging circuit of
Monza, in a car which is capable of finishing on the podium. One thing is for sure, he’s half
Italian and I think I know which driver the spectators will support apart from Fernando ! It’s a
tough task for Jérôme, but we will be supporting him in every way to achieve a good result."

Jérôme D’Ambrosio, Third Driver: "My desire for 2012 has always been to get back into the
seat of a Formula 1 car so I am grabbing this opportunity with both hands. Monza is a
fantastic circuit and I can’t wait to take to the track on Friday. As third driver I have worked
with the team at every Grand Prix, attending all the briefings and meetings that the race
drivers do, so I am well prepared in this respect. Monza is a superb circuit, but it is also
quite a technical one so I am not underestimating the task ahead of me. I want to reward
the faith that the team has in me with a good haul of points from the race. I will hand the
wheel back to Romain after Sunday’s race and I hope that this one showing in Italy will
allow me to show my capabilities fully."

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