Caterham keen to re-sign Ericsson

Caterham would be “delighted” to retain Marcus Ericsson for next year’s Championship after the Swede put in his “best race” of the season in Singapore.

The 24-year-old is contesting his debut campaign with the backmarker outfit and to date has a best result of 11th at the Monaco GP.

It has been a difficult season for the driver as Caterham’s financial situation has often made headlines and resulted in a change of ownership mid-year.

However, it was Ericsson’s drive to P15 in Singapore last Sunday that caught the eye of team boss Manfredi Ravetto, who says it was worthy of a new deal.

“I saw a strong Ericsson in Singapore who did the best race of his season,” Ravetto told Autosport.

“I am sorry for the opportunities he missed in free practice and qualifying due to technical issues, because without them I am sure he would have started in a better position.

“Even so, the fact is he superbly managed to keep both Marussias behind him and did a really fantastic race on a very difficult track.

“We are really very happy with the progress he made and our doors are open for him for next year.

“We have started talking to his management and to his financial backers because this year the team invested in his rookie development.

“Next year we would be delighted in having him again in our car and taking the fruits of this investment, rather than seeing him deliver for somebody else.”

But while Ericsson’s future is looking rosy, the same cannot be said of his team-mate Kamui Kobayashi.

Ravetto confirmed that the Japanese driver’s place at the team is not secure, not for this year or the next.

“We have no rush to make any decision,” he added. “Let me emphasise that Kamui is always part of the family – and we are so sorry for the bad luck he had in Singapore.

“Having said this, driver choice is a very sensitive one and I have to listen to many people’s advice and influence in this respect. It is not a single man’s decision.”