Lucas di Grassi has been confirmed as Pirelli’s test driver and will help develop new tyres in five planned tests to take place this season.
The Brazilian made his F1 debut with Virgin in 2010 but lost his seat to Jerome d’Ambrosio this year.
His responsibilities at Pirelli will be to develop future tyres as well as to collect and interpret data from this years races – he will be present at this weekends British GP.
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says he was impressed with di Grassi’s pace and technical feedback, which were the two main motivators in appointing him as test driver.
“A significant part of our tyre development stems from the feedback we receive from our test driver, so this is an absolutely crucial appointment,” said Hembery. “Lucas has impressed us not only with his pace – which is vital if we are going to accurately simulate racing conditions – but also his technical feedback to the engineers. I’m delighted to welcome Lucas into the team.”
Di Grassi added: “Pirelli has done a fantastic job so far in a very short space of time and I’m looking forward to helping to make the P Zero tyres even better in the future: not just for the drivers and teams but for the spectators as well. This is a great opportunity for me to get more time behind the wheel of a Formula One car – which is difficult these days because of the current testing regulations – and also to use my knowledge to help make a real difference to the sport.”
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