US F1 confirms Lopez as first driver
Date published : 26 Jan 2010 - 09:02:49
US F1 has announced the signing of Argentine driver Jose Maria Lopez for its debut season in Formula 1.The North Carolina-based team had been the only squad yet to sign any drivers for the forthcoming campaign, but Lopez's manager revealed last weekend that a deal to take his driver from Argentine sportscar racing to F1 with the new American entry had been agreed and would be confirmed imminently.That confirmation arrived late on Monday evening, with the official announcement being made by the president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, in the Casa Rosada government house in Buenos Aires.US F1 sporting director Peter Windsor said the team had been keen on hiring former Renault test, and GP2, driver Lopez for some time and had been impressed by the way he resurrected his career in Argentine domestic racing after his first stint in Europe fizzled out."Securing 'Pechito' Lopez for our debut season has been a goal of ours for a long time," said Windsor. We've been following his career since he dominated the Renault V6 Championship in 2003 and we're thrilled to have him on board as we return America to Formula 1. Lopez is a consummate professional and born leader. The most revealing thing about his character was how he handled the disappointment of not racing for Renault after three years of testing with them in F1. Instead of moping around and feeling sorry for himself, he returned to Argentina and totally dominated the local scene, winning 38 races and three championships. He became a major star as a result and, in turn, the Argentine nation a country where F1 is second only to soccer has got behind him."Lopez himself admitted he was thrilled to have finally landed an opportunity to race in F1 and believes US F1 has the potential to make constant improvement from its debut race in March."This is a truly memorable day for me, my family and the people of Argentina," said Lopez, who has more than 6,000 kilometers of F1 test experience. "I have been working towards this day for much of my life and I can't thank Peter and [team principal] Ken [Anderson] enough for this opportunity. Of course a new F1 team faces many challenges but our goal is to improve with each race and build a foundation that will eventually see this team competing for wins and championships."The second seats at US F1, Renault and Campos are now the only ones still to be filled on the 2010 grid.
