Jorda role prompted Sorensen to depart Lotus

Marco Sorensen says he quit F1's Enstone team in protest of the status of female development driver Carmen Jorda. Jorda, a former GP3 driver, was controversially appointed by Lotus last year, but it surprised many when it emerged she has kept the role for 2016 in the wake of the Renault takeover.

For Danish driver Marco Sorensen, whose test role at Lotus was reportedly linked with the now-departed sponsor Saxo Bank, he claims that his departure was actually because of 27-year-old Jorda. "She was 12 seconds slower than me in the simulator," Sorensen is quoted as saying by the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. "Still, she ran away with all the rewards."

"For the past two years I have spent at least 60 days in the simulator, which is about the same as Kevin (Magnussen) at McLaren. So I felt violated to the point that it finally became too much and I had to stop," he added.

However, Sorensen insists he has no hard feelings that his countryman Magnussen has leapt straight into the Renault race seat. "I could not come up with 50 million kroner ($7.5 million), which I've heard is the starting amount if you want to buy a formula one seat," he said.

Sorensen now races for Aston Martin in the world endurance championship. As for countryman Magnussen's forthcoming teammate battle with Jolyon Palmer this year, Sorensen predicted: "It will be close, but I think Kevin has more talent than Palmer." (GMM)