Jerome D’Ambrosio has been confirmed alongside Timo Glock at Marussia Virgin Racing for 2011.
The GP2 veteran drove in the first Friday session for the team at four of the last five races of this season, and has also done some testing for Renault. He replaces Lucas di Grassi, who ironically was on the Renault Driver Development scheme with him in 2004.
D’Ambrosio, who turns 25 next week, will be the first Belgian to compete in F1 since Philippe Adams was briefly at Lotus in 1994.
Team Principal John Booth said: “Jerome had been on our radar for quite some time as a driver we should seriously consider for a 2011 race seat. We had followed his progress in GP2 closely and it was clear he was ‘one to watch’, but when we put him in the car for the four race weekends and the Abu Dhabi test he surpassed even our own expectations. He slotted into the team perfectly and everyone took a shine to him, including our partners and the media.
“Apart from his obvious skill at the wheel of a Formula One car, he is an immensely personable young guy who is a pleasure to have around. He has secured this seat absolutely on merit and I think coupled with Timo we have the perfect blend of youth, experience, speed and potential and we can’t wait to see what they can achieve together next season.
“Timo has done an excellent job for us in our debut season, in often challenging circumstances. There is no doubt that he has helped us to establish a strong foundation from which to develop the team and the package. We look forward to being in a much stronger position to deliver the car he deserves in 2011.
“Finally, I must thank Lucas di Grassi for the important role that he also played in establishing the team. He contributed a great deal to our development and we wish him every success in his future career, which we have no doubt will be an exciting one.”
D’Ambrosio commented: “I’m thrilled to have achieved my goal of a Formula One race seat with Marussia Virgin Racing. When I came to the team in September this year it was everything I could hope for. I had a tough test to complete because there was a lot of competition for this seat, but at the same time I got on well with the team and felt that I had found my home. I feel very comfortable with them – they are extremely professional and ambitious people and it is exciting to think that I can be a part of shaping the team’s future. I would like to thank everyone at Marussia Virgin Racing for the faith they have shown in me and everyone at Gravity Sport Management for the support they have given to my career so far.”
Meanwhile Timo Glock, finally formally confirmed, added: “My congratulations to Jerome on joining the team and I look forward to working with him next year. After a tough but rewarding debut season for our team we now have a lot of hard work to do to take Marussia Virgin Racing to the level we should be performing at in 2011. I for one cannot wait to get started in the new car when testing begins in February.”
(PS: Part time Belgian Bertrand Gachot competed in 1995 but he was born in Luxembourg and was officially racing as French by then…)
Adam Cooper F1 
A pity for Lucas, although he did have a poor year. Hopefully he can take the Glock route and come back to F1 in a couple of years.
Anyway, good to see D’Ambrosio with a drive – I don’t know too much about him, but he seems to have done a good job in his limited opportunities so far.