Bianchi could participate in a championship this season
Jules Bianchi announced his intention to participate in races, in addition to fulfilling his role as the third driver in the Force India team.
Unlike his compatriots Romain Grosjean (Lotus), Charles Pic (Marussia), and Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso), Jules Bianchi, aged 22, should not participate in any rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship in 2012. While the French driver will take part in at least 9 free practice sessions on Friday mornings, he is not expected to have the opportunity to compete against other drivers except by the timing.
As a way to stay in peak form, Bianchi announced his intention to participate in another championship in 2012, where he could further his racing experience before moving up to the premier category in 2013.
“We are working in this direction,” declared Bianchi. “We are not sure yet but I will try to have a program complementary to the one I have in F1.”
Nicolas Todt, manager of the French driver, confirmed that a complementary program to F1 would be beneficial.
«I think it is important for Jules to continue driving and fighting in races. A minimum of 9 test sessions is good, but it is not huge in terms of mileage. With Ferrari and Force India, we are considering different possibilities.»
The main thing, and I’m very happy about it, is that Jules has signed as the third driver at Force India, because, as we’ve seen in the past, they are the best team when it comes to giving young drivers a chance. They know how to work with rookies and it was the best opportunity we had outside of a main race seat, concluded Todt.
The championship in which Bianchi would participate is not mentioned, although we can initially rule out participation in the GP2 championship, which could potentially conflict with his testing sessions at the wheel of the Force India.
