Jérôme D’Ambrosio will have his first taste of the Enstone-built Lotus F1 car at the Mugello test session next week.

D'Ambrosio will drive the podium-finishing E20 on May 1, the first day of the test, followed by team race drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean on the second and third days respectively.

Team principal Eric Boullier said: “Jérôme has been very patiently attending all the races and has been a conscientious and regular visitor to Enstone since he was announced as our third driver.

"It’s clear he has been very eager to get behind the wheel and it will be invaluable for us as a team that he gets this opportunity.

"We have given him a full day to get to grips with the E20, and look forward to receiving his feedback from the test.

"We had a good result in Bahrain, but as always we need to keep pushing forward. Mugello will give us an opportunity to try out a few new parts and hopefully make another step forward.”

D’Ambrosio said: “I know the team from my rookie day in Abu Dhabi in 2010, and I’ve felt very comfortable at Enstone this year which I’m sure will be a big help.

"I’ve said all along that a third driver position with a top team would be much better for my career this year, and I’m starting to see the benefits of that strategy. I’ve learnt a lot so far with the Lotus F1 Team, and this is just the beginning.”