Q&A with Jérôme d’Ambrosio - A very good news for my career

Jerome, are you happy with this Lotus F1 contract as 3rd driver?

Yes, it is very good news for me and my career. It is clearly a step forward and I cannot wait for beginning my program. I was not very stressed because I was sure we could find the best solution for the good of my F1 career but you like to know what you are going to do next season and it was no so easy to wait for a final decision. Now, that is done and it is time to begin to work hard. I feel very lucky to be a part of a so famous team and working with a former F1 World Champion is a real opportunity to gain more experience. The team is ready to give me a real active job and I really hope I could drive often to help them to improve their performance.

What did you do during this period between the last GP in Brazil at the end of November and today?

It was not only holidays… (laugh…). First, in December, I still had a lot of PR events and I have made some go-kart races just for fun. I spent the Christmas period in Morocco for 11 days trip through the desert with quads. It was not like the Dakar… but it was not so easy at all. We arrived sometimes very late in the night... like in Dakar… Since I came back in Europe, I am working my physical condition very hard to be ready for the 2012 season. Now, I can use the awesome tools at our disposal in Enstone to perform very well. The Lotus F1 headquarters are impressive and I already know a lot of people there.

Do your fans have to be happy with this decision because they will not see you on the grid in Australia for the 1st GP?

I can understand how disappointing it could be but they have to know that our decision was the best one in terms of career management. I would love to be on the grid in Australia but not at any price. This step to work for a top team is clearly a step forward and I really hope to be back on track as soon as possible. Nico Hulkenberg, Felipe Massa or Fernando Alonso did the same before me. You never know what can happen and I will be ready to jump on a car if needed. This interview is the perfect place to thank all my fans again who are very active on Facebook and Twitter. You cannot imagine how good it is to read all your messages when you had a tough day. I am very lucky to be followed by them. I hope to see my fans during the 2012 season… I will be there for sure on each GP… and anyway I hope to see many of them in Spa the first weekend of September.