Giedo van der Garde has been announced as Caterham F1’s official reserve driver for 2012, having spent the past three seasons in GP2. Van der Garde will now take part in the pre-season tests and a number of Friday Practice sessions throughout the coming campaign, aiding the Norfolk squad with its preparation efforts.
"I'm very happy to become a part of the Caterham F1 Team family today and I'm very excited about the next step in my career within Formula 1," van der Garde said. "The team is fresh, with some fantastic people here. Tony Fernandes is extremely ambitious and he has brought in a lot of very good people in to help grow this team for future success. I'm looking forward to learning and moving forward with the team in and out of the car."
Commenting on the lack of Dutch pilots in Formula 1 since 2007, he explained: "It's great for Holland that we again have a Dutch driver who is connected to Formula 1. 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, however I hope to generate the same excitement for my country and really bring Formula 1 to them."
Caterham F1 Team Principal Tony Fernandes added: “We are delighted to welcome Giedo into the family as reserve driver. 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.”
Speaking about his performances in GP2, where van der Garde finished fifth last season, Fernandes continued: "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."
Caterham F1 were the first team to launch their new car last week, with its chassis titled the CT01. The first test of 2012 kicks off in Jerez on Tuesday 7 February.
Also on Saturday:
Caterham the right choice, says van der Garde
Series
Formula 1
Personalities
Giedo van der Garde
Teams
Caterham
Other
Get your official Formula 1 tickets at Sportstadium.com
| Giedo van der Garde | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| More Giedo van der Garde photos | |||
English
Nederlands
Español
Italiano
