Official: Giedo Van der Garde becomes a reserve driver at Sauber
It was announced that Giedo Van der Garde was expected to be everywhere as he has a significant budget. Nevertheless, the Dutchman will no longer be a main driver next season as he becomes the reserve driver for Sauber.
Giedo van der Garde was one of the keys in the transfer market as he has significant support from McGregor. Nevertheless, the doors have closed one after the other, and his last opportunity has just slipped away. Indeed, Caterham has decided not to retain him for the next season. Once again, the team will start with a completely new duo since Cyril Abiteboul has also confirmed that he will not retain the Frenchman Charles Pic.
He therefore turned to another team, even in a less prominent role. This way, he can bring his budget to the service of a team that really needs it, Sauber. In his new role as a reserve and test driver, Giedo Van der Garde will have the opportunity to drive during several Friday morning sessions as well as during tests scheduled throughout the season. However, the Swiss team does not have a simulator, which significantly reduces the appeal of such a position compared to an equivalent role in other teams.
But Giedo Van der Garde’s goal is very clear: to become a full-time driver within the Hinwil team starting next season. I believe this is an important step in my career. My goal is to help the team develop the new car. But, obviously, I am a racing driver, and I want to show the team and everyone what I am capable of and that I deserve a full-time driver position with Sauber F1 Team in 2015. After all, my ambition remains the same, and I am extremely motivated to succeed in Formula 1, especially in the long term.
This announcement shows that the agreement made last year by the Swiss leaders with a Russian conglomerate seems to be less and less operational since the arrival of Giedo Van der Garde can only be bad news for Sergey Sirotkin. He had already had to settle for a reserve role while he was strongly expected to become a regular driver. His hopes of becoming a regular driver in the medium term have just diminished further.
One week before the first tests of the season, we now know who will not be the drivers for Caterham…
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
