09/03/2009
NEWS STORY
Telmex Team Arden has recruited two of the world's most promising young drivers for its campaign in this season's GP2 Series. It will be represented by 19-year-old Mexican Sergio Perez (right) and 22-year-old Italian Edoardo Mortara, both of whom have shown excellent form on motor racing's nursery slopes.
Perez is a former title winner in the National class of the British F3 Championship and finished fourth overall when he stepped up to the International class in 2008. He has also demonstrated race-winning form in recent rounds of the 2008-09 GP2 Asia Series.
Mortara switched to cars after a distinguished karting career and finished second in last season's ultra-competitive F3 Euroseries. He was also second in the 2008 Macau GP, one of F3's showpiece events, and scored a podium finish with Arden on his debut in the GP2 Asia Series.
The team, too, has a fine, winning pedigree. It won the FIA Formula 3000 Championship title in 2003 and 2004 and has scored many GP2 race victories since the category's introduction in 2005.
Sergio Perez: "Driving for a team such as Arden represents a great opportunity for me and I am really looking forward to it. Together, I believe we have great potential to mount a serious title challenge – and that has to be our goal. It is going to be an extremely tough, competitive season and I aim to make the most of the chance I have been given at an important stage of my career. I want to thank Telmex and all the sponsors that have made such a great effort to put me where I am. It is fantastic for Mexico to have a driver so close to F1, but I know I need to do a very good job to make it all the way to the top. I will give 100 per cent in and out of the car to help the team and fight for the championship."
Edoardo Mortara: "I am extremely excited to be racing in this year's main GP2 Series and to be doing so with Arden. This is a very professional team that knows how to win races. I'm already competing with them in the GP2 Asia Series and we're working really well together, so stepping up to the main championship should be straightforward. I already have a fantastic rapport with my engineers, Mick and Campbell, and my mechanics. I scored a podium finish in my first GP2 Asia event and hope to achieve similar results in the forthcoming races in Malaysia and Bahrain. My experiences in Asia will put me in the best possible shape for my first race in the main series, at Barcelona in May."