Pirelli confirm Lucas di Grassi as test driver and look ahead to 2012 - The Brazilian driver gets five stints with the tyre supplier
Published by Christine
Welcome to F1Minute - Pirelli look ahead to 2012 regulations and confirm a test driver.
Pirelli have worked with a few drivers already in their short time as sole supplier to F1, but they have now confirmed that Brazilian Lucas di Grassi will be their official test driver for the next five tests. Pirelli boss Paul Hembery said: “Lucas has impressed us not only with his pace, which is vital if we are going to accurately simulate racing conditions, but also his technical feedback to the engineers. I’m delighted to welcome Lucas into the team.” Di Grassi added that it’s a great opportunity for him to get some more mileage in a Formula One car, having been dropped from Virgin Racing at the end of 2010.
Whilst looking ahead, Pirelli also want to discuss with teams future tyre regulations, particularly pondering whether they can get access to current F1 cars for testing. The Toyota model they use at the moment works up to a point, but is only going to get further outdated. Paul Hembery wants to discuss a solution with the teams that wouldn’t lead to accusations of favouritism.
