D’Ambrosio loving life as deputy team principal

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Jerome D'Ambrosio

Jerome D'Ambrosio

Ex-Formula 1 driver Jerome D’Ambrosio says that it has been amazing going from being a driver to a deputy team principal.

After spending six seasons driving in Formula E, the Belgian retired from his racing career and became deputy to Suzie Wolff at Venturi.

So far, he’s loving the new job, saying he can contribute to a team more than he could as a driver.

“It’s been a fantastic opportunity for me, and it’s been amazing to be able to walk away from the driver role into a new role and such an exciting one with such a short transition period,” he told Autosport.

“I still have the racing side of things – I’m a competitor. I want to win and I want to get that feeling of competition. At the same time, I’m able to touch all the other aspects of motorsport, which I really enjoy as well and always did.”

“I feel like I can contribute in a different role but just as much, if not even more, than I used to in the past as a race driver.

“I joined Venturi and there were some challenges last season and I think we’ve worked hard to address a lot of them and to progress and to fight at the front for the podiums when we can. That’s our goal.”

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For the 2021 campaign, the team has replaced Felipe Massa with rookie Norman Nato, and D’Ambrosio has already figured out his approach to managing him.

“I definitely don’t want to step in with the whole ex-driver ‘I’ve been there, I know how it works and so that’s the way you should do it’. Motorsport evolves really quickly,” he added.

“I definitely have spoken to him about some general stuff about Formula E – race management and experience and everything.

“But it will be a matter of him finding his way to Formula E with his own methods, own driving style, own character as a driver.

“Definitely nothing too extreme in saying ‘guys this is the way you should do it and drive it’. He needs to find his way.”

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