Caterham Racing announce their 2014 line up

Caterham F1 Team and Caterham Racing have confirmed their 2014 driver line-ups with the announcement that Kamui Kobayashi and Marcus Ericsson will race in Formula One in the forthcoming season with Robin Frijns and Alexander Rossi as F1 team Reserve Drivers. In addition, Alexander and Rio Haryanto will contest the 2014 GP2 honours with EQ8 Caterham Racing.

Alexander Rossi renews his GP2 challenge with EQ8 Caterham Racing and, after finishing the 2013 season as best rookie, he will start the new season as a serious championship contender. He will combine his GP2 commitments with another year as a Reserve Driver for Caterham F1 Team, continuing his development towards an ultimate race drive in Formula One. Alexander is joined by Rio Haryanto, the Indonesian driver who has progressed in GP2 since his first season in the series in 2012 and who, with Alexander, makes one of the strongest driver pairings in the championship.

Alexander Rossi: “I am pleased to be back with Caterham Racing for 2014 fighting for a GP2 Championship. My 2013 program had some changes which meant I missed the pre-season tests and a couple of the early GP2 races, however, throughout the season the team and I made some big progress and by Abu Dhabi we were definitely one of the cars to beat. This continued in the post-season tests and I’m quite confident about the pace in 2014.

“I have to thank everyone involved at Caterham and Team Rossi for making this happen. We have a fantastic chance to win the GP2 title in 2014, while the F1 team achieves its goals of moving forward. This is an important era for all of us, as the sport enters a new generation. What a great way to start 2014!”

Rio Haryanto: “It is a great feeling to sign with Caterham Racing for my 2014 GP2 campaign. After such a successful post season test with the team in Abu Dhabi and the possible Formula One opportunities, this was the obvious choice for me. The team atmosphere immediately filled me with confidence and I am sure that this new chapter, with a new team is going to bring success.

“I am also looking forward teaming up with Alexander Rossi. We are both strong Championship contenders and with our GP2 experience, we will work together to fight for both the team and driver Championships.
“My ultimate goal is to finish the season as high as possible in the 2014 GP2 Championship and give myself the best possible chance of a full time Formula One seat in 2015.”

Mia Sharizman, EQ8 Caterham Racing Team Principal: “I am delighted to announce that Alexander will continue with us into 2014, and that Rio is joining our team. This announcement also means that we can focus on our 2014 preparations much earlier than we have been able to in previous years. Our team has undergone a number of engineering changes since the end of the 2013 season which we believe gives us the capability to have our best season to date, and to build on our previous Championship results.

“Racing alongside Alexander will be Rio Haryanto. Having Rio joining the Caterham family is the result of a lot of hard work over the last two years, in which time we have seen Rio develop into one of the most promising Asian racing drivers in the world. His experience in GP2 will help the team develop further and having two strong, consistent and quick race drivers will help us achieve our goals. Rio is a determined young man and he returns to GP2 with the aim of being a strong Championship contender alongside his teammate.”