Virgin Racing driver Jerome d'Ambrosio has said that he is looking forward to a "very special" race weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, as the Belgian prepares to be the first home driver at the race for over 15 years.
D'Ambrosio will drive for the Virgin team at this weekend's Belgian race, the first Belgian driver to enter his home race since Phillipe Adams qualified 12 seconds off the pace in 1994.
And although d'Ambrosio is set for another frustrating weekend at the back of the grid for the struggling Virgin squad, he has said that he is going to "enjoy every moment" driving in front of his Belgian fans.
"I have been looking forward to my first Belgian GP for a very long time, and now that the weekend has finally arrived I have to say that I am really excited and I can't wait to race in front of my home fans," he gushed in the team's race preview.
"It's been a long time since Belgium had a Formula 1 driver, so it's going to be a very special weekend both for me and the fans and I'm going to try to enjoy every moment."
He added that: "There's nothing like racing at home and Spa is clearly one of my absolute favourite circuits."
Meanwhile, Virgin team boss John Booth said that he is sure the novelty of racing at his home track will help to spur on his young Belgian rookie.
"This is going to be Jerome's 12th race in F1, but it's a special weekend for him as he is racing at home," Booth pointed out.
"I'm sure this will make him push even harder and it will be great to see all the Belgian fans supporting their driver at their home race."
He added that the team would be aiming to keep up their run of race finishes at the Spa weekend.
"We are raring to go and want to put in another good performance at the Belgian Grand Prix to continue with the good run of double-car finishes we enjoyed in the first part of the season," he rambled.
"From Canada onwards we have been able to finish every single race with both our cars staying out of trouble and showing good reliability, so we've got to make sure we hang on to our good form."
D'Ambrosio's team mate Timo Glock added: "To come back racing in Spa is a perfect way to pick up the rest of the season. It's one of my favourite races, it's a fascinating layout and a historical circuit.
"I'm really excited and I'm looking forward to the weekend ahead."
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
