Lotus and Pirelli to give Leimer prize run

Fabio Leimer will test a 2012 Lotus Formula One car at Paul Ricard in France as part of his prize for winning last year's GP2 championship.

The 25-year-old Swiss driver will run on Tuesday May 27, two days after this weekend's Grand Prix in Monaco.

Lotus's 2014 regular Pastor Maldonado will attend the test along with deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi and reserve driver Nicolas Prost.

Pirelli, exclusive F1 and GP2 tyre suppliers, will meanwhile send their racing manager Mario Isola to the test they have facilitated.

"We're delighted that Fabio will get the chance to drive a Formula One car as part of his prize for winning GP2, underlining our commitment to do everything we can to help our GP2 drivers reach the top," Isola said.

"He'll have the opportunity to test for 300 kilometres on the 3.8-kilometre track configuration, so it's going to be a memorable experience for everybody present. Fabio will be able to sample our demo tyres, in different compounds and with different fuel loads, so it will be interesting to hear his feedback about how they compare to the GP2 tyres he used to win the title."

Leimer, who claimed three wins and seven podiums en route to his GP2 crown, has previously tested for Sauber in an official Abu Dhabi young driver test in 2011.