Renault will test another Russian driver in the session for young drivers at Abu Dhabi next week.
Aleshin’s participation in the test is his prize for winning the Formula Renault 3.5 championship this year.
He drove an R29 in a demonstration run at Magny-Cours earlier this year.
D’Ambrosio, who has participated in Friday first practice for Virgin in the last three races, drives for Renault junior team DAMS in GP2. Renault described him as “this season’s most successful member of the Renault F1 Driver Programme.”
D’Ambrosio will also be racing in the GP2 finale at Abu Dhabi this weekend. He is tenth in the championship, having missed one round where he was replaced by Romain Grosjean.
Because of laws restricting the advertising of alcohol in Abu Dhabi, the Flagman Vodka logos on the R30 will be replaced by those of the Bank of Moscow, its holding company, in the race and tests at the Yas Marina circuit.
Read more: 2011 F1 testing dates confirmed
BasCB
10th November 2010, 12:16
I would fancy Renault to build on the Russian connection rather then sell out their Team (or what’s left of it being theirs) to someone like Bahar from Lotus Cars right now.
Even the Proton cooperation thing does not seem to be enough of an argument to me, as Proton is far from succesfull as is Lotus cars currently.
Getting closer with Lada and built up Renaults foothold in Russia might do more and Lotus can be sufficiently supported through the Team Lotus engine supply.
d-d
10th November 2010, 12:37
Hard to tell, and what about Mr Lopez views?
US_Peter (@us_peter)
10th November 2010, 20:09
I have mixed feelings about that. While I’d like to see 1MalaysiaF1 as Team Lotus next year (I think they’ve earned it and have shown the proper intent and spirit behind what they’re doing), I’m not a fan of the idea of more Russian support at Renault. That would mean the team retaining Petrov, and while I do think he may deserve a spot in F1, I think he needs to prove himself in a backmarker before he gets another shot in a car as good as the R30. He’s definitely cost the team 4th place in the constructors.
Prisoner Monkeys
10th November 2010, 23:16
There’s talk Marussia will get further involved with Virgin, and Nikolai Fomeko – the owner of the company – wants to join the grid in 2012. Maybe Marussia could take Group Lotus’ place at the team.
Ralph
10th November 2010, 14:39
Small wonder!
Gravity Sports feeds in it’s drivers as do the Russian sponsors.
Small wonder bankrolling ‘Renault F1 Team’.
Welcome to the family.
verstappen
10th November 2010, 20:25
Shame (to me as dutch fan) that my (half)countryman Ho Pin Tung is still injured from his GP2 crash.
Then again, as fan of the sport, van der Garde is probably a better addition to F1.
razor electric
12th November 2011, 18:46
Some scholarly piece!!