Jarno Trulli of Italy and Finland's Heikki Kovalainen were unveiled Monday as the drivers for the new Malaysian-backed Lotus team in its debut 2010 Formula One season.
Sports Minister Shabery Cheek said the third driver will be Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy.
"I am happy to note that the team has made good progress in building and testing the car successfully," he told a press conference. "We are on track to make an impact in the next season."
The Lotus team beat off competition from BMW Sauber to be named in September as the 13th team to compete in next year's Formula One World Championship.
The team, run by Malaysian aviation mogul Tony Fernandes who founded budget carrier AirAsia, is backed by a public-private partnership involving a string of top local entrepreneurs, as well as national automaker Proton.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
