Johnny Cecotto Jr. will switch to Arden International colours for the forthcoming 2013
GP2 Series season,
"It is great to have Johnny joining our
GP2 team for the 2013 season," said Arden's sporting director Julian Rouse. "He has shown great potential since he first joined the Series three years ago and he has developed strongly with the current car and the Pirelli tyres."
"I'm delighted to have signed for Arden Motorsport," responded Cecotto Jr. "It's one of the best teams in current motorsport, with a great history, too."
Although born in Germany, the 23-year-old son of motorcycle world champion Johnny Cecotto races under a Venezuelan license thanks to his father's nationality and enjoys solid financial backing from businesses in Venezuela.
Cecotto Jr. first raced in
GP2 in 2009 with David Price Racing (DPR) and competed in his first full season in 2010 with Trident Racing before switching to Ocean Racing Technology in 2011. In 2012 he moved to the Barwa Addax Team, which rewarded him with his first two race wins in the competition - the prestigious Monaco feature race in May and subsequently victory in the Hockenheim feature before the summer break.
Cecotto Jr.'s 2012 season ended with four retirements in the last eight outings with only one podium finish - second place in the Monza feature - to brighten things up before the end of the season, which saw him in ninth position in the overall championship standings. Cecotto Jr. also undertook a Young Driver Test with F1 team Toro Rosso in Abu Dhabi.
Now he is hoping that a further change of team will result in better fortunes in
GP2 this coming year, especially as Arden were behind Luiz Razia's challenge for the title in 2012 which so nearly succeeded in wresting the championship from ultimate victor Davide Valsecchi.
"I feel it was the right moment to sign so that we have plenty of time to prepare for the Championship well and I can also prepare mentally and physically for the 2013
GP2 Series," said the young driver. "The target is definitely to win the Championship and I'm sure that both the team and I have the potential to do so."
Cecotto Jr. and the team have already spent a day working together in post-season testing in Spain, which evidently made both parties feel that they would be a good pairing for 2013.
"We had an excellent test together in Jerez, finishing both sessions at the top of the time sheets, which assured us of his talent on track and technical ability to work with the team," said Rouse. "I am more than confident that if we work hard together we can go one better in the Drivers' Championship in 2013!"