GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Senna, Grosjean confirmed as Renault third drivers

Senna, Grosjean confirmed as Renault third drivers

Bruno Senna will remain part of the Formula One paddock in 2011 after he was confirmed as Renault third driver for the coming season on Monday. The news came as Renault took the wraps of their new car, the R31, at the Valencia circuit in Spain.

There had been fears the Senna name would disappear from the grid after the 27-year-old Brazilian, nephew of the late Ayrton Senna, lost his drive with the fledgling HRT team at the end of last season.

“I’m very proud of being given this opportunity by the team,” said Senna. “It feels like Santa’s been very kind to me,” he added, likening his feelings at seeing the new car to being a young boy at Christmas.

Senna came into Formula One last season, having been away from single-seaters for a year after finishing runner-up to Giorgio Pantano in the 2008 GP2 Series. He endured a difficult rookie F1 campaign, failing to score a point in HRT’s under-developed F110.

Joining Senna as fellow Renault third driver will be another F1 returnee, Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman, who has a long-term relationship with Renault, raced for the team back in 2009, stepping into the seat vacated by Nelson Piquet Junior, but was dropped at the end of that season.

Grosjean won last year’s Auto GP series, competing in various other championships including GP2 and FIA GT. This year he will combine his Renault testing duties with a full-time GP2 race drive.

Renault's reserve drivers (and members of the LRGP Academy) were also confirmed as Jan Charouz, Ho-Pin Tung and Fairuz Fauzy (who was unable to attend the R31 launch due to his GP2 Series commitments).

Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)