Formula Renault 3.5 Series race winner Will Stevens will make his Formula 1 debut for the Caterham F1 Team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Briton, who won twice for Strakka Racing during the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 season, will join Kamui Kobayashi in the line-up as Caterham return from their enforced two-race absence after going into administration.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be getting this opportunity and am very grateful to everyone involved at Caterham F1 Team for giving it to me,” said a delighted Stevens. “I feel ready for the challenge of my F1 debut and look forward to working as part of the Team in a race environment after all the work we’ve done together previously in the tests I’ve completed and back at Leafield in the sim.
“Hopefully this will be something we will be able to carry through to the 2015 season together”.
Caterham F1 Team Head of Engineering Operations Gianluca Pisanello said that the team had signed Stevens for the drive last week but had to wait to announce the British driver until his Superlicence had been confirmed. He had earned his Superlicence after completing over 1100 kilometres of running for the team in the 2013 and 2014 Young Driver Tests at Silverstone.
“We know Will very well through his involvement in the Caterham Racing Academy and more importantly he has done a vast amount of time in our simulator, completing around 10,000km, which has built his experience both of this year’s car and with the engineering team that are going to Abu Dhabi,” said Pisanello. “In addition, his 2014 test at Silverstone in our current car, where he completed over 500kms, was very successful and his race pace was very good.
“As a result, he was one of our best candidates for this race weekend and we are delighted to have secured his services for our return to the F1 grid.”
