Published: Monday December 14, 2009 MYT 12:16:00 PM
Updated: Monday December 14, 2009 MYT 5:10:18 PM

Lotus F1 names Trulli, Kovalainen and Fairuz as its drivers (Update)

By FLORENCE A.SAMY

florenceasamy@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Team Lotus F1 is raring to go and has picked veteran Formula One driver Jarno Trulli and Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen as the drivers for its debut season next year.

(From left: Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Heiki Kovalainen, Fairuz Fauzy and Jarno Trulli at Parliament House on Monday.

Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy was named as the third driver for the new Formula One team, which will start its first race in Bahrain next March.

The announcement was made Monday by Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek on behalf of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at an event attended by the three drivers and with 1Malaysia Formula 1 team principal and AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.

Trulli, 35, has competed in 216 races since 1997 and was the former Toyota driver while Kovalainen, 28, was the former McLaren driver who first made his debut in 2006 with Renault.

Fairuz, 27, had previously tested for the Formula One Spyker team in 2007 and has driven in the GP2 series and A1 GP.

Najib, in his speech which was read out by Shabery, said it was a historic milestone for Malaysia’s very own Lotus F1 racing team.

“I am very impressed with the driver line-up for next year, with its good combination of experience, drive and stamina. Congratulations to them,” he said.

Trulli said he felt privileged to join the Lotus F1 team and was impressed by its long-term vision.

“There is a lot of ambition from Tony (Fernandes), Mike (Gascoyne, chief technical officer) and Malaysia as a whole.

”And that level of enthusiasm is infectious for a driver. I will fight for the team and for Malaysia. Every proud Malaysian should be behind the team,” the Italian said in a statement.

Kovalainen meanwhile said he was impressed with the team’s progress when he visited the factory in Norfolk, Britain.

“I am excited to be part of a team that is not only bringing back the Lotus name but doing so with the support and backing of Malaysia, the country I fell in love with when I first raced here in 2007.

“The team has ambitious plans for the future and everyone will see Lotus F1 Racing as a professional, competitive yet very humble group of intelligent individuals,” he said in a statement.

Both drivers believe they would be a force to reckon with on the track with Trulli stating: “Together, we are among the most competitive pairings on the grid. We are determined to bring success to Lotus F1 Racing.”

Fairuz said he was honoured to be given a chance to drive for the country and looked forward to working closely with Trulli and Kovalainen.

“I am sure we can do Malaysia proud as well as uphold the tradition of such a legendary F1 name as Lotus,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Fernandes said the three drivers would complement each other very well, adding that they had not decided who would be the test driver.

“In Jarno, we have the F1 veteran who has proven that he is as quick as ever. In Heikki we have a continuing rising star. They bring valuable experience and passion to the team.

“And in Fairuz, we have a Malaysian national driver who is eager to progress in F1 to fulfill the nation’s hopes. Their appointment is a testament to the quality of our team.”

Lotus F1 chief executive officer Riad Asmat said they expected to complete building the car by the middle of next month with testing expected to be done by the middle of February, 2010.