Lotus finalizes its choices

Takuma Sato, who said he was looking to make a return to F1, will not go to Lotus. The driver's agent indicates that Sato was not retained by Tony Fernandes' team. Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen are expected to be made official on Monday.

Published on 13/12/2009 à 13:54

⁰ View comments)

The future of Lotus F1 Racing is taking shape little by little. The Malaysian team, the last of the four new teams in the next F1 field to have won their place, must announce their choice of drivers for next season. This weekend, Tony Fernandes revealed that the choice had been made and that the official announcement was to be made this Monday.

But, this weekend, a lot of information filtered out, and we are heading towards a Trulli-Kovalainen ticket for next season. This Saturday, a person close to the matter confided that Jarno Trulli had signed a three-year contract, with a withdrawal clause at the end of each season. This Sunday, the Reuters agency quotes Matthew Winter, agent of Takuma Sato, saying that the Japanese had not been selected by Tony Fernandes' team. And according to the daily Turun Sanomat, Heikki Kovalainen now appears to be the driver who should inherit the second seat.

A Trulli-Kovalainen duo would confirm the intentions of Lotus F1 Racing. Mike Gascoyne, technical director of the team, and Tony Fernandes have always said they want to work with experienced drivers. The Malaysian team prefers the weight of experience to that of sponsors.

Jarno Trulli, 35, has been in Formula 1 since 1997, having started 216 Grands Prix. Heikki Kovalainen, 28, played three seasons of F1, including two with McLaren. Le Finlandais a dû faire face à l?arrivée de Jenson Button, champion du monde, au sein de l?écurie de Woking. Jarno Trulli, dont Toyota souhaitait se séparer, a vu le constructeur nippon se retirer de la Formule 1. Les deux hommes devraient donc poursuivre leur carrière en F1 la saison prochaine avec Lotus.