Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek today named the drivers for the 1Malaysia-Lotus F1 Team.

NONE They are former McLaren driver Heiki Kovalainen from Finland, Italian Jarno Trulli, who used to be the driver for Toyota and local boy Fairuz Fauzy.

Kovalainen and Trulli are expected to be the main drivers while Fairuz to be the reserve driver until he can take over.

The 27-year-old Fauzy is currently competing in the World Series by Renault, and also had a stint in GP2 and is racing for A1 Team Malaysia. He was also the reserve and test driver for the Spyker F1 team.

Shabery, who officiated the ceremony, read out a statement on behalf of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Najib said he was pleased that local talents have been recognised and tapped to play key roles in the F1 team.

"I'm elated that the driver development programme is already underway to promote Motorsports as an affordable activity among Malaysians.

"This project will be a launch pad for Malaysia's growth, especially in the high-tech industry.

"It should be supported 100 percent by Malaysians, individuals or corporations to ensure its success," said Najib.

On a personal note, Shabery said that the team has achieved "significant progress" with the car being fully-built and tested.

"I believe they are on track to make an impact next season," he said.

No big targets set

Meanwhile, team boss Tony Fernandes said the team has not set big targets but vowed it would be "at least the best of the new teams".

The budget airline AirAsia CEO also said both Trulli and Kovalainen are experienced drivers who can help build the team.

"Trulli will bring us a lot of experience to develop the team. Heiki is young and experienced, Fairuz has a lot passion.

NONE "It is a wonderful mix of experience, youth and passion," said Fernandes.

For Shabery, it is a boost for the team to have both Trulli and Kovalainen as they have a good track record.

"As for Fairuz, definitely at the end of the day, we want more Malaysian content not only in terms of drivers but engineering as well," he said.

Meanwhile, the racing car is expected to be ready for planned pre-season testing at the Sepang circuit in February.

Fernandes had said that the first model was being constructed in Norfolk, England.

The team had also recently signed an agreement with Bridgestone, the official F1 tyre supplier, which will provide slick Potenza tyres to all teams for the 2010 championship.

The official name of the team was Lotus F1 Racing as endorsed by the Federation of International Automobile (FIA) in September.