15/11/2010
NEWS STORY
The 2010 Formula One season may be over but that doesn't mean that the on-track action has to stop. As part of the official young driver tests, Virgin Racing will be giving three drivers the opportunity to drive the 2010 CFD-designed VR-01.
The three drivers, Luiz Razia, Jerome D'Ambrosio and Rio Haryanto (right), have all driven the car in the digital domain, on the team's simulator, but for Rio, this will be the first time he will experience the car for real. Luiz had the opportunity to drive the car before the start of the season, but not on race-spec tyres and only for a very short distance. Jerome has already driven the car in four free practice sessions at Grands Prix this season, and will be looking to build on that experience.
Rio will drive the car on the morning of Tuesday 16 November before handing over the reins to Jerome. Luiz will drive the car for a full day on Wednesday 17 November.
Luiz Razia: "I am very excited about driving the VR-01 in a proper test at last. I drove it earlier in the year at the filming day in Jerez, and I also drove a Super-Aguri at Estoril a few weeks ago, but a full day's testing is something different. I've been practising on the simulator for the whole season and it will be fantastic to get a feel for the real thing. It's been a great year working with the team and this is undoubtedly the best bit."
Jerome D'Ambrosio: "Although I have driven the car at the last four Grands Prix, this is still a very important test for me. We will have the opportunity to try different things that we can't normally do in a race weekend as then we are working to a fixed programme. It's been a fantastic experience for me so far, and I'm looking forward to learning even more. I'd like to thank the team for giving me the opportunity."
Rio Haryanto: "The idea to give the best Manor Racing GP3 driver a test in an F1 car was absolutely fantastic, and I want to thank the team's management for that. I was so pleased to win this opportunity and I'm really looking forward to driving the car. I've driven it on the simulator and felt I was putting in some good times, so I'm looking forward to repeating that on track."