F1: Alguersuari, Di Grassi Land Pirelli Test Jobs

Formula 1

F1: Alguersuari, Di Grassi Land Pirelli Test Jobs

Jaime Alguersuari will join Lucas di Grassi as a Pirelli test driver...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted March 30, 2012 Balen (BEL)

Jaime Alguersuari has a new assignment. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Jaime Alguersuari and Lucas di Grassi have both been signed up by Pirelli as test drivers for the Italian company’s 2010 Renault R30.

Pirelli says that the two drivers will share duties at four development tests at Jerez, Spa, Monza and Barcelona, which will be “aimed at defining the 2013 range of Pirelli tires, which will have new compounds and structures, as well as trying out compound developments that could be seen later on this season.”

Di Grassi did some running in the now obsolete 2009 Toyota last season, and has retained an involvement to provide continuity.

Current BBC Radio pundit Alguersuari, who spent much of his Malaysian GP weekend in the Pirelli hospitality building, said: “I can’t wait to get started with this very important and challenging job of developing the new tires for the future, which I’m looking forward to a lot. I have a huge desire to get behind the wheel of a Formula One car again and return to competition, so this is a brilliant chance for me.”

“We learned a lot together and so we are both very happy to continue,” said Di Grassi of his return to the job. “This is a good opportunity for me to carry on the work that we started last year, which allows me to compare and contrast with all the tires I have tested so far. These tires are now a fantastic feature of Formula One.”

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery explained: “Our commitment to providing the best possible spectacle in Formula One is underlined by the fact that we have two extremely fast and talented test drivers this year.

“Lucas will provide us with the reference point that we need from the development program so far, while Jaime brings an extra dimension from his experience of racing at the sharp end of the field throughout the last three seasons. We’re going to be using the drivers for all of our single-seater testing activities, including GP2 and simulator development as well.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.