Under new ownership following Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes’s
withdrawal from the sport, the new management has made swift work of
changing senior personnel at the Leafield-based team. They are already
locked in a bitter legal dispute with 40 ex-staff who claim they were
unfairly dismissed. The team remain without a point in Formula One after
entering the sport in 2010.
Lotterer, 32, has never raced in F1 but had a stint as a test driver for
Jaguar in 2002. Despite claiming the move was in a bid to bolster the team’s “experience”
and improve the car, Lotterer will partner Marcus Ericsson, also in his
rookie year. A highly regarded driver in multiple disciplines, particularly
sports cars, Lotterer said he was “delighted” to be called up.
Meanwhile, this weekend’s race sees the resumption of the battle between Lewis
Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the top of the drivers’ championship. Hamilton,
who trails by 11 points, said he was hoping for a perfect end to the season.
“There were so many positives to take from the opening 11 races, but both
myself and the team always want more and know we are capable of more,”
he said. “The aim is to put the more difficult times of some of the
previous weekends behind us and to recreate the best moments at every race
from now on.”