Van Der Garde joins McLaren Youth programme
The 20-year-old Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde will join reigning Champions ASM for the 2006 F3 Euroseries season. Giedo, who has raced for the past twoseasons in the series, has also become the latest recruit to the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme on an on-going basis.
Giedo Van Der Garde "I am really excited to have joined both ASM and the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme for 2006. To be racing with the current Champions in the F3 Euroseries and a team of the calibre of ASM is fantastic and I am looking forward to a competitive season. In addition, to be a member of the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme is a great opportunity for me at this stage of my career and I aim to make the most of it that I can."
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal, ASM "I'm delighted that Giedo, who has strong experience in the F3 Euroseries, has joined our team. I'm proud to have the confidence from Giedo, his partners, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz. Our target will be to retain both the Driver and Constructor titles and for sure Giedo will be an excellent member of ASM."
Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula One, Team McLaren Mercedes "We are pleased to welcome Giedo to the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme. Giedo is a promising young driver, and we are looking forward to working with him to maximise this potential. We feel that by placing Giedo with the ASM team for 2006, he has the best opportunity to develop and demonstrate his talents."
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport "Mercedes-Benz has a long history of supporting young talents in motor racing. We are happy to support Guido in the 2006 Formula 3 Euroseries together with the experienced team ASM which will run our Mercedes-Benz M271 engine. He has already gathered some experience in the Formula 3 Euro Series and should be in good shape for results in 2006."
