JULY 6, 2010

Four more practice opportunities for Fauzy

Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy will have four more outings for Lotus Racing in the first session of free practice at Silverstone, Budapest, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

The 27-year-old Lotus third driver has already been seen at his native Sepang, where he substituted for Heikki Kovalainen, the Finn having lost a coin toss with team mate Jarno Trulli!

"I want to thank Tony (Fernandes), Mike (Gascoyne) and the whole team for the chance to get back in the car," Fauzy said. "I really can't wait to see how far we've moved forward since I was last out on track. I did the shakedown of chassis 04 at Snetterton a couple of weeks ago, but obviously couldn't really push there, so it'll be great to get back out and add whatever I can to help the team keep moving towards the midfield.

"To start out at Silverstone is going to be very special indeed - I live literally a few metres from the track, so I'll have a lot of friends, family and fans there to cheer me and the whole team on, and it'll be great to be among the first F1 cars to try out the new section. I'm also really looking forward to the other three races, particularly Singapore as there is a unique challenge to racing under the lights."

"I'm absolutely delighted Fairuz will be back in the hot seat at four more races - he's done an excellent job for us whenever he's been out on track, and his enthusiasm and input throughout race weekends, whether he's in or out of the car, has made him a real asset to the whole team," team owner Tony Fernandes added.

"For me, it's not just about the fact he'll be taking part in those Friday sessions - it's also important to see that Fairuz is proving that hard work, perseverance and dedication can make dreams come true, whoever you are, and wherever you are in the world. Everyone in Malaysia is behind him and Zulfahmi Khairuddin in MotoGP 125, another Malaysian flying the flag in international motorsport, and they are proving that talent and dedication can take you right to the very top."

Trulli and Kovalainen will give up two sessions each to allow Fauzy to further his F1 mileage and knowledge.