Andy Soucek has been confirmed as Virgin’s new 2010 reserve driver. He will get his first taste of the is VR-01 this week at Barcelona if Spanish reports are to be believed.
The Spaniard and reigning F2 champion will replace Alvaro Parente as Virgin’s reserve, after the Portuguese driver’s funding fell through.
Spanish media sources said Soucek, 24, will test for one day at Barcelona, the scene of the final pre-season test between Thursday and Sunday.
“I am thrilled to be joining Virgin Racing,” said Soucek. “This role offers me a great opportunity to prepare myself for the Formula 1 environment, which is naturally where my longer-term ambitions lie.
“I look forward to learning from Timo and Lucas as well as soaking up as much information as possible from engineering meetings and time on the simulator.
“I would like to thank John Booth and Nick Wirth in particular for the faith they have shown in me at this stage in my career.
“It is exciting and very motivating to be part of a new structure in such a challenging sport and I hope that my experience can contribute a great deal to the development of the car and team in order to help us progress as quickly as possible.”
