Lotus have confirmed that test and reserve driver Jerome D’Ambrosio will replace Romain Grosjean for the Italian Grand Prix.
Grosjean will serve a one-race ban after he was deemed to have caused a crash at the start of the Belgian GP which took four of the leading cars, including himself, out of the race.
Whilst other drivers had been linked with the seat, including Rubens Barrichello, Adrian Sutil and Jaime Alguersuari, the only serious candidate at short notice was the Belgian driver who has experience in the car.
“We know that Jerome is well integrated into the team and that he did a good job when he drove the E20 at the Mugello test,” said team principal Eric Boullier.
“Now he has the challenge of a grand prix at the challenging circuit of Monza, in a car which is capable of finishing on the podium.”
D’Ambrosio expressed his delight in being given a chance to get behind the wheel once again.
“My desire for 2012 has always been to get back into the seat of a Formula 1 car so I am grabbing this opportunity with both hands,” he added.
“Monza is a fantastic circuit and I can’t wait to take to the track on Friday. As third driver I have worked with the team at every grand prix, attending all the briefings and meetings that the race drivers do, so I am well prepared in this respect.
“Monza is a superb circuit, but it is also quite a technical one so I am not underestimating the task ahead of me.
“I want to reward the faith that the team has in me with a good haul of points from the race. I will hand the wheel back to Romain after Sunday’s race and I hope that this one showing in Italy will allow me to show my capabilities fully.”
