Jerome D’Ambrosio joins Marussia Virgin Racing in 2011

The 25 year old Belgian driver Jerome D’Ambrosio will be joining Timo Glock on the cockpit of the Marussia Virgin Racing Formula One team for the 2011 season.

After completing an evaluation role with the team in November, taking part in the Free Practice 1 sessions of the Singapore, Japanese, Korean and Brazilian Grands Prix, and in a half day programme at the wheel of the VR-01 race car during the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test, the Belgian is now an official driver of Formula One.

During the programme Marussia Virgin Racing’s goal was to evaluate Jerome’s potential for a race, with his speed and excellent technical feedback getting him through with distinction.

Over the last four seasons, Jerome D’Ambrosio has been driving in the GP2 Series, having previously raced in the GP2 Asia series, International Formula Master, the F3000 Euroseries and Formula Renault. Besides his GP2 commitments, in the 2010 season D’Ambrosio was also the Reserve and Test Driver for the Renault F1 Team.

Official work with Marussia Virgin Racing will start in the beginning of 2011 with the presentation of the VR-02, the team’s contender for the 2011 season. The Belgian will then head to Valencia in February to start the pre-season testing, alongside his German team-mate Timo Glock.

According to Marussia Virgin Racing Team Principal, John Booth, “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.”

Booth says that the Belgian has secured his place in Marussia Virgin for merit and that together with Glock, the team has achieved “the perfect blend of youth, experience, speed and potential,” and that the team is excited “to see what they can achieve together next season.”

Marussia Virgin Racing’s new driver, Jerome 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.”