During the team's official launch in Notting Hill, London, Virgin Racing also disclosed the name of their second race driver for the 2010 Formula One season. And it doesn't come as a shock to anybody that his name is Lucas di Grassi, the very Brazilian driver who wrote to his fans via his twitter feed a few days ago that he had reached an agreement for his debut in the series.
Di Grassi used to drive for John Booth's team back in 2005, when the Brazilian scored one of his most important wins in his single-seater career in the Macau F3 Grand Prix. Most recently, Booth confirmed that he would very much like to work with Di Grassi again, considering their fruitful partnership in the past.
The Brazilian driver has spent the last 2 years of his professional career racing single-seaters in the GP2 Series, while also becoming test/reserve driver for Renault F1 Team. Although he was initially scheduled to move up to Renault's official drivers lineup in 2010, the French manufacturer's projected sellout of their F1 operations have made it impossible in recent months.
As a result, Di Grassi will join Timo Glock in the Virgin Racing lineup for the 2010 season, as the German was previously confirmed by the British team a few weeks ago. Portuguese driver Alvaro Parente and Brazilian racer Luis Razia will be test/reserve drivers for the team next season. Their 2010 challenger is expected to make its media debut in Valencia, in late Janaury, with all the other teams.
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