As exclusively predicted on this blog, Caterham F1 Team has confirmed that Giedo van der Garde will be the team’s official Reserve Driver in 2012. The Dutchman will take part in “a number of FP1 sessions” throughout the season as a core part of the team’s driver line-up.
“He is a very exciting prospect that we have been monitoring since the early days of our team, and we are all looking forward to seeing how he can help us develop throughout the season as we take our next steps towards the established midfield teams ahead,” said Tony Fernandes. “His performances in GP2, particularly in 2011, mark Giedo out as one of motorsport’s brightest prospects, and securing him as Reserve Driver is a real coup for our team. I am sure he will flourish on and off track, and we wish him all the best as he takes the next step into Formula 1 with us.”
Van der Garde says that the appointment is great for Dutch racing.
“Being the only Dutch driver now is very good for the sport in Holland, as the interest was perhaps on the decline since the Verstappen years,” he said. “I hope to generate the same excitement for my country and really bring Formula 1 to them. I feel that the team as a whole is very ambitious. They appear to be very positive people and I think they are building up, growing and developing very quickly. I think this year they will be strong contenders! We’ll see after the test but I really have a feeling that it’s a big family here and they are pushing very hard to move up the grid. I’d like to thank McGregor and everybody who has supported me in my career and for helping me take this next exciting step.”
So I assume that means Trulli is racing instead of Petrov?
Is there any chance that Vitaly could work his way into Marussia? It seems strange that there is a Russian team and an experienced Russian driver without a seat
Let’s wait and see.
sick of these fake PR statement..we all know he brings money…his GP2 carriers wasn’t even near good…..
Sure he brings money. His career in GP2 was not bad, but not special either.
Well predicted Joe!
Watch out for other predictions coming true in the next few days
So, Guido will be passed by Petrov then for Trulli’s seat.
Good financials for Caterham there: Petrov + van der Garde’s Millions -/- Truli’s salary (do they have to buy him off? From since the confirmation they didn’t specify his role)
I hope Guido looks good in his practices and tests and gets a regular racing seat next year – based on performance.
so is vj finally going to shut up shop with kingfisher?? if not, what other predictions
Anything to do with HRT Joe?
Sorry to be way OT Joe, just read that Sky is rolling out a pay as you go internet service, but not immediately sports and no details or promises. So there may still be some hope yet for those not prepared to take the Murdoch’s shilling at a usurious interest. I’d like to say that’s smart, but this day and age, it’s the screamingly obvious thing to do. They will be silly not to take PPV money for the full races they have exclusive.
They will also be silly to pre announce any F1 coverage, as that would diminish their main sales to fans. Hence noting it here, for who is holding out.
(and who can receive RTL or TF1 with their kit will at least see the races live, I understand)
Now if we could only have a return of the Dutch GP…
… at Zandvoort, please, and with no Tilke involvement.
I think I might have once tried to order one of those at a bar. Make mine a double. Has a ring though, “Zandvoort, please, easy on the Tilke”. Or maybe Easy On The Tilke needs a musical setting?
Thers’s a classic F1 at Zandvoort this year for 1980′s F1 cars if you’re interested
I guess that this means that Karun is now jobless.
Joe, do you have any news related to Chandhok? I cannot understand how some indian companies back Karthikeyan instead of him, I think he did a solid work in 2011.
I’m curious to see if he will be serving only as the F1 team’s reserve driver, or if he will drive in the GP2 outfit Caterham Racing also. I see this as a possiblity as Chandok has stated that he will be available for all, but one of the F1 races this year.
After the end of last season Giedo said he wasn’t interested in continuing in GP2. And I doubt he’d do it for anyone other than a top team – which Caterham isn’t.
Doing GP2 also gets in the way of doing Friday practice at those GPs, because of the close proximity of the sessions during the weekend. Hence why Bianchi is looking at FR3.5 not GP2 if he continues racing this year.
Tony decided to pull out from india market….karun is no use anymore!!!
joe, who do you think is the most talented of the newcomers? I am very unfamiliar with all of them.
Vergne
On other unrelated news, Sahara pulled out sponsorship to Indian cricket team(Multi million dollar deal) and also withdrawn their IPL team (Pune warriors) from IPL competition. This happened due to difference of opinion with cricket board on a player selection from auction.
Both Sahara and Vijay Mallaya own IPL team and played against each other, Sahara was displeased with the way Vijay Mallaya’s team signed contract with Chris Gayle and this was cited as one of the reasons for pulling out of IPL and Indian team sponsorship.
I really wonder how these two joined hands together in formula 1.
This is a big news back in India at the moment.
Neo, Sahara withdrew sponsorship based on their differences with the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI). Nothing to do with Mallaya.
And also, Sahara wanted to spend MORE than their allowed limit during the player auction last week because their star player made himself unavailable. BCCI refused this request hence the split.
Where does this leave Rossi? Thought that was confirmed to be the third driver before the young drivers test last year
Its rumored that Rossi will return to Formula Renault 3.5 to race for Arden instead of Caterham’s GP2 team.