D'Ambrosio with Marussia Virgin Racing

Belgium has been waiting for sixteen years to see one of its own join the Formula 1. Freshly crowned with a Formula title Renault 3.5 Series, Bertrand Baguette was expected at the start of 2010 at Sauber. Alas, the place will go to Pedro de la Rosa, whose portfolio was a little more extensive. Finally, the successor to Philippe Adams (the last Belgian seen in Formula 1 with two GPs for Team Lotus in 1994) is called Jérôme d?Ambrosio.

This season, the driver from the Gravity Sport Management sector defended the colors of Dams in the GP2 Series. If his first races were somewhat chaotic, D?Ambrosio recovered well after being sidelined in favor of Romain Grosjean in Hockenheim. The second half of 2010 was much more prolific. He also has to his credit a great victory during race 2 in the streets of the Principality of Monaco.

Then the season of the man who will celebrate his 25th birthday on December 27 turned into a fairy tale, when Virgin Racing entrusted him with one of its VR01s for the Friday free practices of four of the last five Grands Prix (Singapore, Japan, Korea and Brazil). A godsend which he fulfilled in a very fine manner. The experience was repeated during the first day of the Rookie Tests in Abu Dhabi.

And apparently, Jérôme d?Ambrosio passed the passing exam successfully. The rumors then became more and more insistent. Jérôme d?Ambrosio could defend the colors of Virgin Racing in 2011, which has since become Marussia Virgin Racing. Today, the news is made official, in accordance with what AUTOhebdo announced to you last week. In 2011, Belgium will have its Formula 1 driver.

“We have been watching Jérôme for a while, and we were seriously considering offering him a starting position in 2011, comments Team Principal John Booth. We followed his progress in GP2 very closely, and it was clear that he was one to watch. But when we put it in our car during the first free practices of the last four Grands Prix and during the Abu Dhabi test, it exceeded all our expectations. He integrated perfectly into the team, and everyone got along very well with him, including our partners and the media. Apart from his undeniable talent at the wheel of a car of Formula 1, he is an extremely pleasant young man. He earned his place purely on merit, and I think that with Timo (Glock) and Luiz Razia, we have a great team of young people, experienced, fast, and with enormous potential. I can't wait to see what we will achieve together next season. »

“I am delighted to have achieved my goal, which was to obtain a starting place at Marussia Virgin Racing, continues Jérôme d?Ambrosio. When I arrived in September, it was everything I hoped for. It wasn't easy because there were many contenders, but I got along wonderfully with the team, and think I found my home. I feel very comfortable with them. They are very professional and ambitious. It's very exciting to know that I will contribute to the future of the team. I would like to thank everyone at Marussia Virgin Racing for the trust they have placed in me, and the Gravity Sport Management sector for their support throughout my career. »