Giedo van der Garde confirmed at Caterham

Giedo van der Garde held a press conference this afternoon in the Netherlands to confirm his presence as Caterham's regular driver F1 Team in 2013. After speculation around Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov, it was the test driver from Tony Fernandes' team who took the wheel. The Dutchman is the third driver from the 2012 GP2 Series season to start this year after Max Chilton (Marussia F1 Team) and Esteban Gutiérrez (Sauber F1 Team). Reigning champion Davide Valsecchi has landed a role as a reserve driver at Lotus F1 Team.

“I feel ready to progress in F1 with all the work I have done during my career, particularly last season with this team with which I reached this level”, says Giedo van der Garde. “I was able to fully integrate with the team, both with the free practices held on circuits that were new to me and with my position as a reserve driver. I will now be able to continue learning at the highest level of motorsport and prove that I deserve my place in F1. »

Cyril Abiteboul is delighted with the arrival of Giedo van der Garde, who offers Caterham F1 Team a new line-up with Charles Pic. The Dutchman, who took sixth place in the GP2 Championship with the Malaysian team, distinguished himself by signing two victories and six podiums last year. “He has been part of the family since last year when he arrived in GP2 and took up the position of reserve driver”, adds the Team Principal of Caterham F1 Team. “He did really well, whether in GP2 or during his six F1 free practice sessions. He was able to quickly improve his pace, progress in terms of technical feedback and built good relationships with the engineers and mechanics, which allowed him to reach the final step in F1. »