Fauzy joins Renault as reserve driver

London: Former Lotus Racing reserve driver Fairuz Fauzy has joined their Formula One rivals Lotus Renault in the same role, the Malaysian`s new team said.

Renault, whose race drivers are Poland`s Robert Kubica and Russian Vitaly Petrov, said the 28-year-old would also compete in the GP2 support series with the Super Nova team in a car carrying significant branding for Lotus owners Proton. "It`s a real honour to be part of a top team that has achieved so much in the sport and it`s something any driver dreams about," said Fauzy in a statement. "It`s feels especially exciting because of the new partnership with Lotus and I`m very proud to be here at the start of a new era for the team.”"It`s also a great opportunity for me to improve as a driver and learn as much as I can about Formula One so that hopefully one day I can be on the grid myself." Fauzy`s former team Lotus Racing, owned by Malaysian aviation entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, have been renamed Team Lotus for 2011 after ending their debut season as the best of the three new outfits. Proton-owned Lotus Group have meanwhile arrived as title sponsors and significant stakeholders in former world champions Renault.The two sides are preparing for a legal showdown over the use of the Lotus brand name in Formula One. Bureau Report