Formula One: Lotus pick D’Ambrosio for Italian GP

Belgian Jerome d’Ambrosio will contest this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix in place of Romain Grosjean. There was speculation that Lotus might overlook their official reserve driver for the Monza seat, after team regular Grosjean was given a one-race ban by the FIA for causing the first-lap crash at Spa last Sunday, according to formula-one.speedtv.com. Rubens Barrichello, Jaime Alguersuari and Adrian Sutil were speculatively linked with the one-off cockpit, but it now emerges that 2011 Virgin driver d’Ambrosio, 26, will race the competitive black and gold E20. “We know that Jerome is well-integrated into the team and that he did a good job when he drove the E20 at the Mugello test,” said team boss Eric Boullier. “Now he has the challenge of a Grand Prix at the challenging circuit of Monza, in a car that is capable of finishing on the podium.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2012.