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Abt joins Calado at Lotus GP

Daniel Abt was on the podium in each of the last seven races of the 2012 GP3 Series © Sutton Images

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Daniel Abt has been announced as the new team-mate of James Calado at Lotus GP for the 2013 season.

With Esteban Gutierrez moving up to Formula One with Sauber next season, Abt graduates from the GP3 team to take his place. Abt was the GP3 vice-champion in 2012, losing out to Mitch Evans by two points, and he said that he hopes to continue the strong relationship he has built up with the team.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to have the opportunity to race in GP2 with the best team I can imagine," Abt said. "Already in GP3 we had a really good relationship and worked together well. We finished second in the championship it felt like the right choice for me to go one step higher in my career. Of course it is always a big challenge for the drivers and the team but I am sure we have the perfect package to achieve great results. I want to thank Frederic Vasseur and all my partners for believing in me and offering me the opportunity to do the 2013 season in GP2 together with Lotus GP."

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said that in his opinion Abt had actually deserved to win the GP2 championship last season.

"Daniel is the GP3 driver who has improved the most over the course of the last season," Vasseur said. "He finished either first or second in the last seven races, showing he has what it takes to fight for the title until the final race and that he fully deserved to win. His mind, his raw talent and his ability to adapt and grow convinced Lotus GP to help him take the step up into the GP2 Series where he will have a professional environment that he already knows and which has the culture of winning."

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