Silverstone: Force India on Tuesday announced
that up and coming Scottish driver Paul di Resta and current
Indy Lights champion American JR Hildebrand will be tested on
the VJM02 car in Jerez, Spain next week for a potential test
or reserve driver's role in the team for next season.
Twenty-three-year-old Paul and 21-year-old Hildebrand
were selected for the December 1-3 test drive after their
outstanding performance in the team's simulator last month.
Paul is a Mercedes works driver in the German touring car
series, the DTM, and finished third overall with one win in
the 2009 championship. He also has an impressive record in the
junior formulae, winning the 2006 Formula 3 Euroseries against
a field including current F1 race winner Sebastian Vettel.
In 2004, Paul was awarded the prestigious McLaren
Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award for up and
coming, stand-out young British racing talent.
Hildebrand, from California, has quickly risen to
prominence on American racing scene thanks to impressive
results in junior formula, most recently his victory in Indy
Lights, the feeder series to USA's premier racing event.
In 2006, he secured Formula Ford 2000 championship title
and in 2007 was the top placed US rookie in the Atlantic
championship.
Force India chairman and team principal Vijay Mallya said
a satisfactory test drive could result in one of the two
youngsters getting a test or reserve driver's job next season.
"We are delighted to have Paul and JR join us for the
young driver test. Both of their showings in the simulator
were excellent and we had no hesitations in offering them some
valuable testing. Should they perform well, as we are
confident they will, we will look at a permanent role for one
within the team in 2010, potentially as a test and reserve
driver," Mallya said.
"As a young team we are looking for drivers who can grow
with us. As we've always said, nationality isn't the primary
selection criteria -– it's talent and dedication to the cause
and we have seen enough to know that these two have both."
An elated Paul said, "I am thrilled to be joining Force
India for this test. It's an exciting opportunity for me as F1
has always been my dream and I feel this is taking me one step
closer to achieving it. ... this is just the beginning of what
I hope will be a very bright future with Force India."
Hildebrand said, "I'm ecstatic to get my first taste of
F1. I know it's a big challenge but I feel ready to tackle it.
I hope I can do the car and myself justice."
Bureau Report