Reigning GP2 champion Britain's Jolyon Palmer has been appointed test and reserve driver for Lotus the Formula One team announced on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old will be involved in many of the Friday morning free practice runs and will attend every Grand Prix on the calendar.
Palmer, son of ex-F1 driver Jonathan who raced in over 80 Grand Prix most notably with the Williams team in the 1980's, took the appointment as a stepping stone.
"My goal has been to become a race driver in a competitive F1 team for 2016 and Lotus F1 Team is a great opportunity for me, particularly with Mercedes engines now," Palmer told the Lotus F1 site.
The Lotus team chairman explained his choice by pointing out its race drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado also cut their teeth on the GP2 circuit.
"Jolyon is a fantastic talent and a very credible driver to fulfil the role of Third Driver at Lotus F1 Team. Romain and Pastor are both GP2 Series Champions, so we know what a fantastic proving ground GP2 provides," said Gerard Lopez, Chairman and Team Principal at Lotus.
Source: AFP
