Motorsport: Louis rolls into Fabio's GP2 lane

The 19-year-old from Geneva completed his first two GP2 races at the finale in Abu Dhabi as a trial with the British team Carlin. Louis Delétraz then tested with Racing Engineering, setting top times in the process, and is now convinced that the Spanish team is the best place for him. With this team, Fabio Leimer won the title at the third attempt in 2013, having previously failed to do so with two other teams. After his strong season in Formula V8 3.5, in which Louis Delétraz finished second overall as by far the best rookie, the Geneva native feels ready for the second-highest division: "GP2 was always my wish for the coming season. This is the logical step towards Formula 1, which is my career goal."

The fourth Swiss with chances for points
"As a rookie, I have to learn a lot in my first year. Everyone knows that the correct handling of the Pirelli tires is the crux of the matter. That's why it's important to be placed in one of the best teams," said Louis Delétraz, explaining his team choice. "They have an excellent team structure and we immediately understood each other at the test in Abu Dhabi. Therefore, I think we can achieve a lot together."

Team boss Alfonso de Orleans-Borbon is also convinced of this: "We tested with him for the first time in the simulator back in 2015 and then followed his 2016 season closely. For his 19 years, he is already very mature." Louis Delétraz is already the fourth Swiss GP2 driver at Racing Engineering after Sébastien Buemi, Neel Jani and Fabio Leimer. "They have all had success with us," the team boss points out with pride. "So we hope to continue this series with Louis."

www.gp2series.com
Photos: GP2 Series