Addax have revealed the identity of their first driver for the coming GP3 Series season by confirming that Gabby Chaves has joined the team.
The 17-year-old Colombian has been testing for the Spanish team over the winter in preparation for his graduation to the series from Italian Formula 3.
In 2009 Chaves won the Formula BMW Americas title before making the switch to Europe last year. He finished tenth in the final standings in Italian F3 and was the top rookie.
Chaves believes that working with Addax in GP3 will help him improve as a driver. “I'm really delighted to be joining a team like Addax Team who have been so successful in the most prestigious series,” said Chaves. “I'm convinced that working with them will help me complete my formation as a driver, and that is the main objective of this GP3 Series. I have been lucky enough to work with them during the last tests at Paul Ricard and it's clear that they are a fantastic team with great professionals. I'm sure that the work that we are going to carry out this season will be beneficial for both myself and the team.”
Team owner Alejandro Agag added: “On behalf of myself and the rest of the team we would like to welcome Gabby on board. I would like once more to state that we have complete confidence in him as a person and as a driver and with his participation we will maintain the spirit of this competition. It's essence is to be the springboard for young drivers to reach greater heights. Gabby is a great talent that we hope to help in his development towards more important objectives in motor-racing, as we have done in the past with other drivers, and we have great expectations of him.”
Chaves will be in action for the team at the Silverstone test that begins on 29th March. He will be joined at the team for the first day by Thomas Hylkema and Fernando Monje.