Caterham have confirmed that Rodolfo Gonzalez will drive on the first day of the in-season Mugello test next week.
Gonzalez, currently competing with Caterham Racing in the 2012 GP2 series, will be in the car on 1st May. Vitaly Petrov will take over on May 2nd and Heikki Kovalainen on May 3rd.
This will be the Venezuelan’s third time behind the wheel of a Caterham/Team Lotus car having tested for them on two previous occasions in ’10 and ’11.
“I am very excited about getting back into an F1 car at the Mugello test, and want to thank Caterham F1 Team for this opportunity,” said Gonzalez.
“It will be my third time in an F1 car with this team and it will be another good chance for me to further my experience at the top level of global motorsport. I took part in the young driver tests in 2010 and 2011 with the team, so to be able to help their development programme mid-season is another good step in my career and something that I can take lessons from back into my GP2 season with Caterham Racing.”
Riad Asmat, Caterham Group Chief Executive Officer, added: “Rodolfo is developing well and we are very pleased we are playing an active role in his growth as a driver. He did a good job for us when he took part in the young driver tests, and we expect him to work to the plans he is given, deliver what we ask him to on track, and provide the engineers with the sort of feedback someone with his experience should.
“His day with the F1 team in Mugello will also help his ongoing development in GP2 and that will be good news for Caterham Racing, so for everyone involved this is good news.”
