Grapevine: Yoong to Drive Lotus at Historic GP

Malaysian Alex Yoong will take part in this weekend's Historic Grand Prix of Monaco at the wheel of one of the highly-successful 'wedge-shaped' Lotus 72 used by Swede Ronnie Peterson.

The 25-year-old will race a Lotus 72/R6, a chassis that first appeared in 1971 and which Peterson took to four victories in France, Austria, Italy and the USA and a total of seven podium finishes during the 1973 season.

"I'm really looking forward to competing in this weekend's Historic Monaco Grand Prix," Yoong said. "I have always been fascinated by the Formula One cars from this era, and to drive Ronnie Peterson's Lotus around the streets of Monte Carlo is going to be a fantastic experience.

"I'm sure it's going to feel very different from my normal Minardi, but part of the fun is going to be finding out just how a 1970s Formula One car compares with its 21st century equivalent."

This weekend's activities around the streets of Monte Carlo will also see Jordan's Takuma Sato drive a Lotus. The event is a high-profile curtain-raiser to the Monaco Grand Prix.