Photo: GP2 Media Service
After much speculation, it has been confirmed that Daniel Abt will race for the Lotus GP squad in GP2 in 2013. The young German will be replacing Esteban Gutierrez (who’s signed with Sauber to race in F1) as it was announced earlier that the team will be retaining its other driver, RSF-backed Brit James Calado.
Abt, aged 20, has already achieved multiple honours on his way up the junior racing series ladder, including an ADAC Formel Masters title in 2009 and runner-up spots in German Formula Three and GP3 in 2010 and 2012 respectively. The end of 2012 was arguably his finest racing moment to date as he went from an outside shot at the title to almost clinching it, losing out to eventual champion Mitch Evans by a mere two points.
?I cannot tell you how happy I am to have the opportunity to race in GP2 with the best team I can imagine,? said Abt, who was part of the same squad’s GP3 lineup a year ago. ?Already in GP3 we had a really good relationship and worked together well. We finished second in the championship it felt like the right choice for me to go one step higher in my career. Of course it is always a big challenge for the drivers and the team but I am sure we have the perfect package to achieve great results. I want to thank Frederic Vasseur and all my partners for believing in me and offering me the opportunity to do the 2013 season in GP2 together with Lotus GP.?
Team boss Frederic Vasseur added: ?Daniel is the GP3 driver who has improved the most over the course of the last season. He finished either first or second in the last seven races, showing he has what it takes to fight for the title until the final race and that he fully deserved to win. His mind, his raw talent and his ability to adapt and grow convinced Lotus GP to help him take the step up into the GP2 Series where he will have a professional environment that he already knows and which has the culture of winning.?
With Calado and Abt on board, Lotus GP seem to have one of the most promising squads in recent GP2 history. The Brit, who graduated to GP2 the exact same way a year ago (promoted by Lotus GP after taking second in GP3 in 2011), won two races and scored two poles on his way to fifth in the final standings, allowing the team to take an overall second in the Teams’ Championship.