Jerome d’Ambrosio has revealed he could drive one of the Lotus cars during Friday morning practice sessions at some point in 2012.

The former Virgin driver, who is managed by Lotus boss Eric Boullier’s Gravity company, was appointed as the team’s third and reserve driver for this year.

But, until now, it was not known if the role would involve Friday morning practice duties.

Asked by the La Libre newspaper when he will be seen on the grid once again, Belgian d’Ambrosio answered: “I hope in 2013.”

He will get his 2013 campaign up and running on Tuesday, when he gets the chance to drive Lotus’ current E20 for the first time at the Mugello test.

The 26-year-old said on Monday: “I will try to show what I can do every time I have the opportunity, not only tomorrow but also during the Friday morning tests that I can participate in.”

D’Ambrosio admitted he would rather be racing this year, but insists that his role at Lotus is a good stepping stone.

“I’m not complaining,” he said. “I remain convinced that my decision to become a reserve driver with a big team was the best thing for me.”

And he insisted he is not jealous of the similarly-aged Romain Grosjean, who took the E20 to the podium in Bahrain recently.

“Honestly not,” said d’Ambrosio. “I would be a fool to think that if Romain had crashed twice more I would replace him in Barcelona.

“Instead, what Grosjean has done confirms that young guys can be trusted. I am glad to see him succeed.

“I don’t come to grands prix hoping one of my teammates is hurt. I’m here to learn, not to laugh.”

He thinks Lotus could win a race in 2012.

“It’s possible, yes,” said d’Ambrosio. “The E20 works well when it’s hot, degrading the tyres not too much.

“In Bahrain, we had the best car in the race. We cannot afford to miss opportunities.”

Martin Whitmarsh has played down fears McLaren has made a crucial mistake by overlooking the ‘step nose’ trend that will dominate the 2012 grid.
With the new Mercedes having now broken cover, and Pedro de la Rosa revealing that HRT’s 2012 car also has a step nose, famous British team McLaren is all alone in keeping a smooth aerodynamic line from the end of the monocoque to the tip of the nose.

Every other team has decided that the best solution to the new rules forcing a lower nose is to plough ahead with having as high a chassis as possible, in order to maximise the flow of air underneath the car.

“I’ve asked our technical guys if they are sure that we have done the right thing and they have told me not to worry,” team boss Whitmarsh is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

He admitted there is an obvious aerodynamic benefit to the ‘step nose’ solution.

“But we have a lower centre of gravity, more freedom in the suspension geometry, and a more comfortable seating position and a better view for the driver,” added Whitmarsh.

The main reason for McLaren’s decision is that, having already gone a different route to Red Bull at the front of the car last year, a ‘step’ nose would have required a wholesale design philosophy change.

“This car is an evolution,” confirmed Whitmarsh.

“In terms of radical innovations that are visibly obvious, I’ll have to disappoint — these rules just don’t leave that sort of room any more.”

Lewis Hamilton looks set to be recalled as a witness as the Adrian Sutil assault saga rolls on.
German Sutil, and his father Jorge, described former close friend and 2008 world champion Hamilton as a “coward” and “pathetic” after the McLaren driver did not appear at the recent hearings in Munich.

But with the former Force India driver – and Munich prosecutors – now filing appeals against the judge’s verdict, Hamilton’s personal testimony might be regarded as crucial.

Hamilton is clearly visible in the video footage of the incident with Eric Lux in a Shanghai nightclub last April, but Sutil’s manager Manfred Zimmermann claims the judge neglected the gravity of the security camera evidence.

“Not asking one of the witnesses to court and other important circumstances have not been considered as well,” Zimmermann charged.

London newspaper the Daily Telegraph claims Hamilton “is happy to testify provided the date does not clash with prior commitments”.

 A feature of the 2012 Ferrari car has not been seen in formula one for more than a decade, test driver Marc Gene has confirmed.
While the ‘stepped’ noses have been grabbing all the media’s attention, arguably more noteworthy is Ferrari’s decision to design its F2012 around ‘pullrod’ front suspension.

While some F1 teams have been using pullrod suspension at the rear of their cars, it has been essentially absent from the front since the 80s and 90s.

“The system seeks to lower the centre of gravity and improve the entry and operation of the air from the front to the rear to improve downforce,” Spaniard Gene wrote in the El Mundo newspaper.

“It was last seen at the front of Fernando Alonso’s Minardi in 2011,” he added.

After the first day of official testing on Tuesday, Ferrari designer Nikolas Tombazis said: “No one will be able to accuse us of having been timid in the design of this car.”

Three formula one teams are interested in signing Romain Grosjean, according to Renault chief Eric Boullier.
Frenchman Boullier, who also heads the Gravity driver management company, is reportedly considering his countryman as an immediate replacement for Nick Heidfeld.

But L’Equipe quotes Boullier as saying “three teams” are in the running to have the 25-year-old – who is leading the current GP2 championship – in their 2012 lineups.

And Renault team owner Gerard Lopez admits Grosjean is a candidate to replace Heidfeld in 2012.

“Vitaly (Petrov) has a contract to the end of 2012,” he said. “We could consider Vitaly with Romain, but that doesn’t depend on us. It depends on the health of Robert (Kubica).”

Boullier admits Grosjean struggled in 2009 when he made his F1 debut amid the ‘crashgate’ scandal alongside Fernando Alonso.

“As I am very close to him, I can confirm that he is different now, much more mature than two years ago,” he said.

He told Globo Esporte: “We’re waiting to see what happens with Robert.”

Talks about Jerome d’Ambrosio staying at Virgin next year have begun, according to a Belgian report.

RTL TVI said that after teammate Timo Glock’s new long-term contract was announced at the Nurburgring, attention is now turning to whether rookie d’Ambrosio, 25, is also staying put.

D’Ambrosio, who is managed by the Eric Boullier-headed Gravity company, insisted he is not worried.

“I am very much supported by Gravity. It allows me to just get on with what I have to do at the grands prix,” he said when asked about the plans for the future.

D’Ambrosio said he left the Nurburgring happy with the weekend.

“It was a slight turn – I hope – in my season, because until now I have had some bad patches, especially on Saturdays,” he said.

“But in Germany I managed to put everything in place and be close to my teammate all weekend.

“I have finished 9 of the 10 races, which is important because it means I have made few mistakes. I have to continue like that,” he added.

Six races into his 2011 campaign in injured Robert Kubica’s Renault, the spotlight on Nick Heidfeld is growing brighter.
It has been suggested boss Eric Boullier believes the veteran German has underperformed, amid rumours the Gravity-managed Romain Grosjean might be a candidate to replace him.

German magazine Speed Week quoted the Frenchman as saying Heidfeld’s season has been “good, but not good enough”.

“Nick starts at the pace of Vitaly Petrov but there is always a drop,” Boullier added. “We need to sit down and I need to understand what Nick’s concerns are.

“On Sunday he is good, very good indeed,” he said.

To the French sports newspaper L’Equipe, Boullier admitted that Renault is missing the leadership of Kubica, who will likely sit out the entire season – and possibly longer – as he recovers from a horror rally crash.

“Robert was able to manoeuvre into a leadership role,” he acknowledged. “He is demanding and knows in himself what he wants from the team.

“If he sees that things are not going well, he hits his fist on the table hard. But Robert is not here now.”

The other side of Renault’s current driver lineup is Petrov, whose seat is believed safe due to his substantial backing, but Boullier’s assessment of the improving Russian is also not rosy.

“Vitaly needed someone who could tell him what time at the track he is expected in the morning so he’s not late for meetings, how to organise his day and how to behave off the track,” he said, apparently scotching suggestions the 26-year-old is ready to step into the vacant leadership role.

Jerome d’Ambrosio is close to securing his formula one race debut for 2011.

That is the claim of Eric Boullier, who is in charge not only of the Renault team, but also Genii Capital’s driver management arm Gravity.

Gravity negotiated Belgian d’Ambrosio’s current Friday role with Virgin, and he is also set to race alongside Timo Glock next year, depending on his management’s ability to compile the necessary budget.

“We have 95 per cent of the package together,” Frenchman Boullier told the Het Nieuwsblad newspaper.

“For the remaining 5 per cent,” he added, “it’s just a matter of days. I would be pleased to have a signed contract in his pocket by the last race in Abu Dhabi.”

Romain Grosjean’s new Pirelli testing role is a good step towards his return to the formula one grid, according to Eric Boullier.

Boullier is not only boss of the Renault team, but also the Gravity Sport management company, who have recently signed up the Swiss-born French driver.

“It’s obviously a very good thing for him,” Boullier, referring to the Pirelli job, is quoted by France’s Auto Hebdo.

GP2 and former Renault driver Grosjean, 24, has been appointed to replace the Sauber-bound Nick Heidfeld at this week’s Pirelli tyre test at Monza.

He is hoping the role will become full-time.

Said Boullier: “It allows him to drive a formula one car and gives him credibility within the paddock.

“He deserves a second chance,” added the Frenchman, who decided to replace Grosjean with Russian pay-driver Vitaly Petrov for the 2010 Renault race seat.

Boullier said “a lot of teams” positioned to have drivers appointed by Pirelli to replace Heidfeld.

He also expects Petrov and his teammate Robert Kubica to have a better weekend in Singapore after a difficult Monza outing.

“We knew Monza was not our favourite track, but from Singapore and the rest of the season we should regain the level of performance we had in Belgium,” said Boullier.

“We are not planning to change the ‘F-duct’ in Singapore because it’s working just fine, but we will have a new front wing,” he revealed.

Jerome d’Ambrosio will replace Virgin regular Lucas di Grassi for four of the remaining five Friday morning practice sessions in 2010.

Recent speculation hinted at the possibility of a 2011 race seat for the Belgian GP2 driver, whose manager has revealed he has already raised the majority of the necessary budget.

Manager Yves Decorte told a newspaper last week: “And if we can do it quickly, he might even be able to drive on a Friday morning at the end of the season.”

But Virgin has not confirmed that the Gravity-managed d’Ambrosio, 24, is definitely replacing Brazilian rookie di Grassi next year.

“We have a contract with Timo Glock for another two years and an option on the services of Lucas di Grassi for next year,” insisted team chief executive Graeme Lowdon.

“Both drivers have done an outstanding job for us in our debut season.”

The new British team said d’Ambrosio has been signed only “in an evaluation role” for the forthcoming rounds in Singapore, Japan, Korea and Brazil, explaining that Virgin “will be using this opportunity to evaluate Jerome’s potential”.

D’Ambrosio, who started the 2010 season as a Renault test driver, will also contest the end-of-season young driver test after the Abu Dhabi season finale, Virgin announced.

“We are always looking to progress new racing talent and the team out of which Virgin Racing was born has a long history of this,” added Lowdon.

D’Ambrosio said: “My ultimate goal has always been to race in formula one and I am delighted to get a step closer. Looking at the 2011 season, this will be very useful.”

Also in Abu Dhabi for the end-of-season Abu Dhabi test will be Dean Stoneman, who secures the Williams outing as a prize for becoming the new F2 champion.

Romain Grosjean has lauded Renault’s progress since he left the French team last year.

The Swiss born Frenchman, back in the F1 paddock this weekend for the GP2 support race, made his grand prix debut in 2009 to replace the ousted Nelson Piquet.

In the eight months since his last race with Renault, the team has emerged from the crashgate scandal and is now mostly owned by Genii Capital.

“Renault, bravo,” Grosjean, 24, told France’s Auto Hebdo.

“Compared to the situation they were in last year, nobody would have expected them to be where they are now.

“They have stepped up, bringing improvements to every race.  Even on a bad weekend, they are never very far away,” added Grosjean, appointed for his GP2 duties at Hockenheim by the Genii-controlled Gravity management arm.

He admitted he will use the opportunity this weekend to sound out any openings with F1 teams, but insisted that he does not regret agreeing to step into the sport with the troubled Renault team last season.

“No, and anyway, we didn’t have a choice.  On the day it was proposed to get into F1, ‘no’ was not an option,” he said.

“I don’t regret anything, or anything that has come afterwards,” added Grosjean.

Jun.14 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve is unlikely to find a seat for his formula one return with the Renault team.

The boss of the Enstone based outfit, Eric Boullier, says he respects the 1997 world champion but thinks he will struggle to be accommodated with a top team.

French Canadian Villeneuve, 39, came close to returning to F1 this year with Stefan GP, and has announced he will try again to find a seat in 2011.

He is reportedly close to Renault’s team owner Gerard Lopez and shareholder Eric Lux, and the related Gravity Sport Management.

“Jacques is a world champion and a driver of exceptional talent for whom I have great respect,” Boullier is quoted by Canada’s Rue Frontenac.

“There is no doubt he could help a team looking for a driver with his profile. This was not the case for us,” he explained.

Boullier thinks Villeneuve, who has not raced in F1 since losing his BMW seat in 2006, would struggle if he came back.

“The current regulations that limit private testing greatly affect the potential return of a non-active driver.

“A driver who leaves competition loses his normal speed, his reflexes are a bit dulled as are his physical abilities to take the car to its maximum potential.

“That’s just natural. Whatever you do in sports, the specific skills needed to race in F1 must be constantly maintained,” he added.