Alexander Rossi leaves Caterham

When Tony Fernandes decided to sell his team to investors from the Middle East and Switzerland, it was highly likely that they would implement a major reorganization to equip themselves fully to achieve the sole objective of the season: to finish in the top ten of the Constructors’ Championship.

Numerous layoffs have already taken place, and responsibilities have already been transferred to other stakeholders at all levels. Indeed, the young driver development program and the GP2 team have not been spared by these changes. Alexander Rossi is therefore one of the most visible victims, as he announced he had ended his collaboration with the team: “As of today, I will no longer race for Caterham. I had some great years with the team, with the highlight being driving for them last year in Austin. Now, it is time to move forward.”

These four years of collaboration have allowed the Californian to experience F1, Formula Renault 3.5, and GP2: « I am very grateful to everyone at Caterham with whom I have worked. We have had meetings over the past few months with the previous and current management. The decision to leave Caterham is the right one for my career. I take only positive things from my time there, where I was able to accumulate a lot of mileage by driving all their F1 cars since Lotus Racing joined the F1 World Championship in 2010. I have proven my skills in an F1 car, both in private tests and free practice, and I am ready for the next step. »

One of the main reasons for this separation is that it is largely supported by General Electric. The American conglomerate had joined Caterham as a sponsor during the signing of the major aircraft sales contract, powered by GE, between Airbus and Tony Fernandes’ airline, AirAsia. Now that the Malaysian businessman is no longer in charge, GE doesn’t necessarily have an interest in being represented in F1 and GP2. At least, not with Caterham…

On the other hand, the 22-year-old driver does not hide his ambitions and is making overtures to the emerging American team, Haas Formula, which is set to make its debut in 2016: « My goal is to be in F1 and to create value in the sport. We have a huge opportunity ahead of us to grow the sport in the United States, and I think the timing is perfect. I am excited to see an American entry in F1, Haas Formula, which aims to join the F1 grid in 2016. »

However, Alexander Rossi will indeed be in the paddocks this weekend in Germany as he has also announced an agreement with the Campos team, as explained by Adrian Campos: “It’s a great opportunity for us and Alexander. We are sure he will adapt very quickly to the car and we will get the most out of this weekend. He will replace Kimiya Sato, who is currently leading the Auto GP championship. Due to a scheduling clash, the decision was made to let him focus on this championship.” So now “all that remains is” to find a solution for the rest of the season and beyond.

As for Caterham, it was decided not to assign this seat to its new protégé but to another Frenchman, Tom Dillmann. He thus finds himself back in a GP2 seat after being sidelined by Russian Time when the new owners took over during the off-season.

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr