Nov.6 (GMM) The sound of F1 engines in Abu Dhabi will resume on Tuesday.
Barely a day after Kimi Raikkonen won Sunday’s thrilling grand prix at Yas Marina, the track will return to life on Tuesday when the final three day ‘young driver test’ begins.
Six teams have already run their young driver days this year, so just Red Bull, McLaren, Lotus, Sauber, Toro Rosso and Caterham have stayed behind in Abu Dhabi for the session.
Red Bull junior Antonio Felix da Costa will be running for the reigning champions, as will new Renault World Series champion Robin Frijns, who will also get a run in the Sauber this week.
McLaren’s test regular Gary Paffett may not technically be a ‘young driver’, but the British team will use the loophole of his F1 racing inexperience to continue its development programme in Abu Dhabi.
Also in action in the MP4-27 will be Oliver Turvey and Kevin Magnussen, the 20-year-old son of former Danish F1 driver Jan.
In Lotus’ newly-winning E20 will be Nicolas Prost, son of the famous quadruple world champion Alain, as well as DTM driver Edoardo Mortara and new GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi.
Sauber’s likely 2013 race driver Esteban Gutierrez will be in the C31, while Dutchman Frijns will also get some time in the 2012 car and is tipped to succeed Mexican Gutierrez as reserve driver next year.
Toro Rosso will be running GP2 runner-up Luiz Razia and 2012 rival Johnny Cecotto jnr, whose Venezuelan father was a motorcycle and F1 driver in the 70s and 80s.
And driving the Caterham will be the team’s testers Giedo van der Garde and American Alexander Rossi.
