Ho-Pin Tung, official reserve driver for Renault
Renault announced a few days ago that Ho-Pin Tung, Jérôme D’Ambrosio, and Jan Charouz will be the reserve drivers for the team for the 2010 season. Tung and D’Ambrosio both come from the program of Renault’s new partner, Gérard Lopez. They had been linked to race seats over the winter. Tung, a Chinese driver, has […]
Renault announced a few days ago that Ho-Pin Tung, Jérôme D’Ambrosio, and Jan Charouz will be the reserve drivers for the team for the 2010 season. Tung and D’Ambrosio both come from the program of Renault’s new partner, Gérard Lopez. They had been linked to race seats over the winter.
Tung, a Chinese driver, has already driven for the team during the young drivers test session last December in Jerez. He is the third official driver for Losange. The 27-year-old has experience thanks to GP2 and has been a leader in A1GP and Superleague. He also tested with Williams in 2004: « It’s really a dream come true for me, but it’s also the start of a new adventure, » said Tung about his contract with Renault. « In many ways, everything starts from now. »
« I want to make the most of the F1 team to learn as much as I can, to absorb everything around me and become a better driver. But I also want to make a real contribution, and whenever the team needs me, I will be ready to help. During my first test session with the team in Jerez last December, the engineers were impressed by my speed and the precision of my technical feedback. Earning their respect has always been my main goal and I’m happy I managed to do it. »
He also acknowledged that his participation could promote Formula 1 in his home country: “My new position with Renault is great news for Chinese motorsport,” said Tung. “China is very new to motorsport, especially in Formula 1, even though there has been a Grand Prix in Shanghai since 2004. I hope I can build on this foundation and rely on the support of many fans in China.”
The 24-year-old Belgian, D’Ambrosio, is a former international Formula Master champion and aims for the GP2 title this year in his third participation. He finished ninth in 2009. Charouz joins Renault after winning the LMS title last year with Aston Martin Racing. The 22-year-old Czech driver returns to racing this year and has already gained support from the Renault team in Formula Renault 3.5.
