Lotus to replace reserve driver Valsecchi (Update)
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(GMM) Davide Valsecchi has admitted he is likely to vacate his role as Lotus' reserve driver ahead of the 2014 season.
As reigning GP2 champion, but having failed to secure a race seat, Italian Valsecchi, 26, served as Lotus' official reserve driver last year.
But he admitted to being "angry" when, at the tail end of the season, Lotus overlooked him as the replacement for surgery-bound regular Kimi Raikkonen.
"Perhaps I lack experience but what chance do you have to gain any?" he said at the time.
We reported early this week that Lotus looks set to replace the departing Valsecchi with the Eric Boullier-managed, 23-year-old Danish driver Marco Sorensen for 2014.
Valsecchi told Italy's Autosprint: "I have a meeting with Lotus planned for the short term.
"But after a 2013 season in which I travelled a lot but did not get on the track, I want to go back to wearing overalls and a helmet," he insisted.
"I have had several contacts in different categories, but at the moment I have decided nothing definite.
"I realize it is not easy to find something without a big budget, but we are working in this direction," added Valsecchi.
01/06/14 (GMM) Lotus looks to have made its choice of official reserve driver for 2014.
It appears unlikely the Enstone based team will keep Davide Valsecchi on board, particularly after the Italian admitted he was "angry" when bosses overlooked him as the surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen's replacement late last season.
"Perhaps I lack experience but what chance do you have to gain any?" he said at the time.
According to the Italiaracing publication, Lotus looks set to turn to the similarly Eric Boullier-managed, 23-year-old Danish driver Marco Sorensen for 2014.
He raced in Lotus' black and gold colors in the Formula Renault 3.5 series last year, finishing seventh, and in September made his F1 test debut in a two-year-old car at the Paul Ricard track.