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Virgin names additional drivers for 2010

Tue 15th, December 2009

London, England (Sports Network) - Formula One newcomer Virgin Racing announced during the team's official unveiling on Tuesday the remainder of its driver lineup for the Formula One 2010 season.

Rookie Lucas Di Grassi from Brazil will join German Timo Glock, while Brazilian Luiz Razia and Alvaro Parente from Portugal will serve as the team's test and reserve drivers.

Glock was confirmed by Manor GP several weeks ago. The British team had its name rebranded to Virgin Racing last week when F1's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), published the official entry list for next season. The name change came before Manor team founder John Booth and Virgin owner Richard Branson announced their sponsorship agreement.

The 25-year-old Di Grassi has spent the past four seasons competing in the GP2 Series, where he finished runner-up in points in 2007. He also served as test driver for Renault.

"I could never have imagined a debut as perfect as this one," Di Grassi said. "I believe I am ready for F1. I have worked a lot over the years to get here, and I believe it happened just in time."

Branson revealed the team's management lineup, with Alex Tai serving as team principal, Booth taking the role as sporting director and Nick Wirth assuming the technical director position. At the conclusion of this season, Branson moved his sponsorship from championship winning Brawn GP to his new team.

"We have had a fantastic first year in Formula One, and it was incredible to be sponsoring a team that fought so hard to win both championships," Branson said. "We are huge fans of the sport, and we spent a lot of time exploring all the options for a longer-term involvement.

Branson also said Virgin Racing will operate with a budget of roughly $65 million, making it the lowest budget of any of the four new F1 teams. US F1, Campos Meta 1 and Lotus F1 are the other new teams for next year's campaign.