According to the aforementioned source, Italian driver Jarno Trulli is almost 100 percent Lotus’ new official driver for their 2010 campaign, while the second driving seat up for grabs will more than likely go to former McLaren racer Heikki Kovalainen.
Although they initially stated that the team’s strategy for the 2010 season will be based on an experienced vs rookie driver lineup, it seems the Malaysian officials had a change of heart recently. With so many F1 drivers still available on the market – Trulli, Kovalainen, Heidfeld, Nakajima – Lotus decided it will be better for them to sign a duo that has some experience in developing a decent F1 challenger.
The news that Kovalainen is about to join Trulli in the Lotus lineup came as soon as Takuma Sato’s manager, Matthew Winter, confirmed the fact that his client was no longer in the run for that seat. Sato was aiming for an F1 comeback in 2010, following his failed attempt with Toro Rosso last season.
“We know Taku has not got Lotus – we found out yesterday,” said Winter, according to Reuters.
In addition to giving the media the name of their two racing drivers, Lotus F1 Team will also disclose the name of their reserve/test driver. We’re talking (more than likely) about former GP2 racer Fairuz Fauzy, who was already partially confirmed for that role by technical chief Mike Gascoyne a few weeks ago.
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