Grosjean is Lotus Renault GP reserve

January 31, 2011 by Joe Saward

Romain Grosjean will be confirmed later today as the test and reserve driver of the Lotus Renault GP team. Grosjean drove for Renault briefly in 2009 and failed to impress and was dropped last season when the team was taken over by GenII. The return of Grosjean is probably more to do with his experience as a Pirelli tyre tester than his French connections.

It is rumoured that Davide Valsecchi will be the Team Lotus reserve driver and it seems that Superleague Formula champion Davide Rigon has joined the driving force at Ferrari, solely to do simulator work. Luca Badoer is no longer with the team but Jules Bianchi, Marc Gené and Giancarlo Fisichella all seem to still be involved.

Posted in F1 Drivers, F1 Teams | 21 Comments

21 Responses

on January 31, 2011 at 08:56 Wichard

I think this is good news. I hope Grosjean gets another chance to prove himself. He is one of those drivers who did everything right and ruined his carreer in a few F1 races. My opinion is that this is more Renaults fault than Grosjeans.
on January 31, 2011 at 09:02 Ian Perry

What happened to Fauzy?
- on January 31, 2011 at 09:22 joesaward
  
  Ian Perry
  
  Good question.
  
  Who cares?
on January 31, 2011 at 09:15 Lustigson

If Valsecchi takes the Lotus reserve role, he’s out of the HRT equasion. I wonder who’s left for that seat.
- on January 31, 2011 at 09:22 joesaward
  
  Lustigson,
  
  Dare I mention his name?
on January 31, 2011 at 10:13 Peter

Joe,

What happened to Chandhok and Lotus is it off now? I’d really like to see him in a car again. He was good in the not good HRT (unfortunate name and he’s been a revelation in the 5Live commentary box last year.
on January 31, 2011 at 10:14 Scott Smith

Joe I thought we were referring to this mob by chassis name…or is it the real Lotus (Team) you’re referring to?
- on January 31, 2011 at 11:11 joesaward
  
  Scott Smith,
  
  The team name is Lotus Renault GP. The chassis name is Renault. But it is not right to call the team Renault, because it clearly is not – and that would not be fair to Renault either. I am going to call the team Lotus Renault GP. I am going to call the cars Renaults. I am going to refer to Team Lotus as Team Lotus and call the car a Lotus.
on January 31, 2011 at 11:15 Francis Albert

Joe,

Davide Rigon has been doing development work at Ferrari’s simulator for most of 2010, maybe earlier.

First post here, might as well say congratulations for the work you’re doing! I’m looking forward to another season of news and insight.

Cheers,

F.
- on January 31, 2011 at 11:18 joesaward
  
  Francis Albert,
  
  I never stop learning!
on January 31, 2011 at 11:27 Tom

Ian, Fauzy’s still involved I think. Bruno Senna also at the launch.
on January 31, 2011 at 12:07 D

Referring to Renault as “Lotus Renault GP” would make sense if we called Ferrari “Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro” or McLaren “Vodafone McLaren Mercedes”.

We dont, so its just nonsense as far as Im concerned.

5 reserve drivers for Renault this year, so far. Its fairly obvious why each of them are there but its still an excessive number.
on January 31, 2011 at 12:37 Oradis

Just read that they have also signed-up Bruno Senna. That means that along with Fairuz Fauzy, Romain Grosjean, Ho-Pin Tung and Jan Charouz, they now have 5 test/reserve drivers! How many miles will they actually get in an F1 car this year??
- on January 31, 2011 at 12:57 joesaward
  
  Oradis,
  
  Most test and reserve drivers these days get no real miles
on January 31, 2011 at 15:20 JBUSA

Is “GENII” pronounced as “JEN TWO” or “JEANNIE”?
- on January 31, 2011 at 15:25 joesaward
  
  JBUSA,
  
  Good question.
on January 31, 2011 at 15:34 David Hodge

JBUSA,

I thought it was Jean-ee-i as in the plural of Genius. Kind of like having Einstein and Beethoven sitting next to each other on the bus…
on January 31, 2011 at 15:38 Ash

And are all these reserve drivers actually paid?

2000 — irrational exuberance crashes to earth and tech bubble pops

2008 — US sub-prime mortgages lead to global credit crunch

2010 — Eurozone weakness leads to debt crises in Greece and Ireland

2012 — massive debt-fuelled expenditure by Group Lotus in sponsoring every level of competition down to the egg-and-spoon race at the Hethel village fete creates “Lotus bubble” in manufacturers of gold paint, sponsorship decals, and hairspray for the legions of fashion victims trying to get the “Bahar look”, as well as a corresponding credit crisis, demonstrations in the streets and violent revolution in Malaysia and a number of gulf states, whose billions have essentially been pissed away with nothing to show for it but a handful of yellowing press-releases and the half-finished chassis of four dozen new Esprits.
on January 31, 2011 at 20:13 Andy

Hi Joe,
I thought senna was named as reserve, third driver? I’m sure I saw that from Eric boullier?
- on January 31, 2011 at 21:59 joesaward
  
  Andy
  
  Everyone was named third driver…
on February 1, 2011 at 03:41 Ash

Yes… all the third drivers are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Any money on at what point Bruno Senna will get a marketing-driven race seat ahead of the more deserving Grosjean? meaning that Grosjean’s career will have been destroyed _again_ by bloody Renault…

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