Photo: Scuderia AlphaTauri

Marino Sato will join fellow Formula 2 racer Yuki Tsunoda to form an all-Japanese line-up for AlphaTauri in next week’s Formula 1 young driver test in Abu Dhabi.

Sato raced for Trident in his first full season of F2 this year, scoring a solitary point when he finished eighth in the Mugello sprint race.

In 2019 he won the Euroformula title – winning races against Red Bull juniors Tsunoda and Liam Lawson – following two seasons in the FIA’s European Formula 3 championship.

“I am extremely happy to be given this opportunity from AlphaTauri to drive an F1 car,” Sato said.

“We will try to do as many laps as possible to get used to the car quickly and to learn the maximum out of it for whatever comes in the future. Obviously to be driving an F1 car is the dream of every racing driver, for sure I will enjoy a lot around Abu Dhabi.”

Sato is currently in Bahrain, continuing to test for the Trident F2 team ahead of a likely continuation with the team in 2021.

“We are pleased to have Marino Sato on board for the test because he did a solid job throughout the season in F2 this year, so he deserves a run in Formula 1,” said AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost. “We are convinced he can do a good job as he is a skilled driver.

“The plan for the test is simple, getting him to do as many laps as possible to give him a good feeling for an F1 car. This test will be very useful, both for us and for Marino and we will do our best to help him understand how an F1 team operates in all its different aspects.

“In addition, from a technical point of view he will certainly learn something from which he will benefit next year, when he will continue in the F2 championship. I think this is a very good preparation for his future and it’s a pleasure to be part of his development towards what we hope will be a very successful career.”

By taking part in an official F1 test, Sato will follow his namesake Kimiya Sato, who drove for Sauber at Silverstone in 2013. Both drivers have been mentored by ex-F1 backmarker Taki Inoue. Neither are related to one-time podium finisher and double Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato.

The post Sato to test for AlphaTauri F1 team alongside Tsunoda in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Formula Scout.

Sebastian Vettel topped the final day of the Silverstone test for Red Bull Racing whilst it was Carlos Sainz, Jr. who placed highest on the timing screens out of the youngsters in the same car, settling into fourth.

Vettel had the car to himself in the afternoon and set the early benchmark of 1:32.894, which remained unbeaten for the remainder of the final day of testing.

Another regular driver, Force India’s Adrian Sutil, was second, three tenths down on Vettel. Nicolas Prost was just 0.014 off of Sutil, taking third for Lotus.

Sainz ended another day as the top driver from junior single-seaters, taking fourth. The two Ferrari drivers followed suit, with Davide Rigon bumping Felipe Massa down to sixth with 20 minutes to go.

Toro Rosso’s regular driver Jean-Eric Vergne placed seventh, while McLaren’s development driver Gary Paffett rounded out the list of people who went quicker than 1 minute 34 seconds.

Williams test driver Susie Wolff beat Caterham’s Giedo van der Garde to ninth by 0.5 seconds. Daniil Kvyat got his first run in an F1 car with Toro Rosso, taking 11th with a short evening run. Other Caterham regular Charles Pic took 12th, with Kimiya Sato 13th for Sauber and Marussia tester Rodolfo Gonzalez in 14th, having brought out a red flag with a spin in the morning.

James Calado, who got a short six-lap stint in the very final stages of the test, was 15th for Force India, with Jules Bianchi rounding out the timesheets, also having brought out a red flag, stopping on-track.

Session results

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Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Carlos Sainz starred on his Formula 1 testing debut at the young driver test at Silverstone, rivalling race driver Daniel Ricciardo at the head of the timesheets.

Ricciardo spent the morning in the Toro Rosso, posting a time of 1m32.972s that would end up being the best lap of the day. He switched to the Red Bull RB9 for the afternoon as the champion squad evaluate him for a race seat, allowing Sainz to get behind the wheel of Toro Rosso’s STR8.

The 18-year-old Spaniard’s best time was good enough for second place on the leaderboard at the end of the day, just 0.044 seconds slower than Ricciardo’s time set in the same car.

Ricciardo’s name also showed up in third at the close of play thanks to his quickest time in a Red Bull machine that he did manage to beech in the Luffield gravel trap early into his run.

Away from Red Bull-contracted drivers, GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi was fourth on his one day of running for Lotus, 0.582s off the pace. He was three tenths ahead of his former GP2 team-mate Oliver Turvey of McLaren.

James Calado enjoyed a second morning driving the Force India, managing a time that put him sixth at the end of the day, just one thousandth of a second ahead of Antonio Felix da Costa, who got the last of his day and a half in the Red Bull before he sets off for this weekend’s Formula Renault 3.5 round in Spielberg.

Ferrari tester Davide Rigon was eighth, ahead of race drivers Pastor Maldonado, who spent the morning doing tyre work for Williams, and Nico Hulkenberg, who did likewise in the afternoon for Sauber.

European F3 champion Daniel Juncadella got an extra afternoon in the Williams and was 11th, ahead of FR3.5 champion Robin Frijns who did the last of his running this week for Sauber during the morning before Hulkenberg took over, but did cause a red flag with an off at Luffield of his own.

FR3.5 frontrunner Will Stevens was 13th on his first day in an F1 car for Caterham, clocking the most laps of the non-race-drivers with 98, while Paul Di Resta ended up 14th after tyre work with Force India in the afternoon. Marussia’s Rodolfo Gonzalez completed the day’s runners.

Day two times

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Friday – Day 3

Carlos Sainz, Red Bull

?This has been an incredible opportunity. It was not an easy day and the nerves were definitely there. In the end though, it all went smoothly and there were no major issues. I enjoyed the work and tried to do my best in terms of giving feedback to the team. It?s a big boost for my self-confidence, but I?m 18-years-old, still very young and still learning. There?s a long way to go.?

Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso

?I want to thank Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso for giving me this opportunity to drive a Formula 1 car for the first time. It was a really nice feeling, with all that downforce and power. The more laps you do, the more you get used to it and on my last run, I was already trying to push and find the limits.

“Unfortunately, we lost some time when I made a mistake and ran into the gravel. I?m not sure what happened, I just felt a lack of grip at the rear from the tyres and had snap oversteer.?

Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Kimiya Sato, Sauber

?I?m really amazed after driving a Formula One car for the first time. It?s so sharp and it reacts very quickly too, especially when steering and braking. It?s incredible. From a physical point of view, it?s also tough. I have raced in Silverstone before, so I do know the track well, but nothing compares to this. To drive here in a Formula One car feels completely different, and the speed is incredible. The morning was really good. In the afternoon I used a few new sets of tyres and tried to improve my lap times. Unfortunately, that didn?t work out the way I wanted it to. The track conditions changed, the wind picked up and the circuit was generally slower. Driving a Formula One car today was really good, and I had a lot of fun. But the next step is to really work on improving my lap times.?

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: ?It is always exciting being associated with a driver?s first day in a Formula One car, as it is a very special day for him. Kimiya?s mature approach to the day impressed us all, as he worked well with the Engineers, improving throughout the day.”

Thursday – Day 2

Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso

?First of all, I want to thank Red Bull and especially Toro Rosso for this opportunity. When I got out of the car at the end, I went round to every mechanic and said ?thank you for being part of the happiest day of my life!? Driving the car was an incredible feeling and this track helped, because if there is one circuit where you are really going to feel you are in a Formula 1 car, it?s Silverstone.

“As for my impressions of the car, everything about it was amazing, but if I had to pick on one aspect it would be the car?s agility and the way it can change direction at 300 km/h. That?s something I had never experienced before and it was the most impressive thing for me.

“Tomorrow, I will get the chance to drive the Infiniti Red Bull Racing car, but to start like this with Toro Rosso, which was not part of my plan for the year, makes this the best day and tomorrow, to sit in a world champion?s car thanks to Red Bull, who have supported me since I was fifteen, will I hope be just as good.?

Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

James Calado, Force India

?It has been fantastic to get an opportunity to drive this week. It?s another world compared to what I am used to with so much to learn and so many names to remember! Yesterday was more about getting comfortable with the car and today I was able to do a bigger programme with some aero work. The team also gave me the chance to try some pit stop practice, which was good experience.

“As a British driver it has been amazing to drive a Formula One car at my home track ? it?s certainly a memory that will stay with me. The car is just phenomenal ? the high speed grip, the brakes and the g-forces. I?m really happy with how things have gone and I hope the work we?ve done will help the race drivers in Hungary.?

Photo: Sahara Force India Formula One Team

Antonio Felix da Costa, Red Bull

?To drive the car for half of the three days of testing has been a fantastic opportunity. It?s a good sign that the team believes I can carry such a heavy workload and get the job done. To be working with a world championship-winning team is the best learning experience you could have.?

Daniel Juncadella, Williams

“It was nice to be able to have another go in the car today. The conditions were different today with the wind changing direction so I struggled to get used to the balance of the car a bit. However, I think it was good for to have another opportunity in the car and I?ve really enjoyed the experience a lot.”

Xevi Pujolar, Chief Engineer: “We did another 30 laps with Dani this afternoon to complete our programme with him and give him the opportunity to learn more. We did some performance runs and a long run, and again he made no mistakes and coped well in the different conditions. We are really pleased with what we have seen from him over the last two days.”

Robin Frjins, Sauber

?This morning we did a lot of installation laps again. At around 12pm we finally did a performance run. After the first lap we changed the settings on the car. Following that I felt the car wasn?t as balanced as before, so I spun off and that ended my day with just one flying lap.?

Will Stevens, Caterham

“It’s been a really good day and I want to thank everyone who’s helped make my first run in an F1 car happen. For me the main focus of the day was learning as much as I could. It was obviously my first time driving the F1 car and even though I’d prepared for the test with simulator sessions and time back the factory, nothing really prepares you for the step up in performance compared to what I’ve been racing so far, and the whole track setup.

“However, to be honest, it didn’t take long to start feeling comfortable in the car. In the early runs we were mainly focusing on aero work, so it was all about working to the very precise plan the engineers set, and then, from mid-morning, we started looking at more normal test work – setup options, different bodywork, all the test items the team needed to work through for the races to come.

“We stopped for lunch after nearly 50 laps and I was feeling good, ready to get straight back in and carry on! The afternoon session was much the same – we tried a few different setups and then ended with more aero work. Overall it’s been a really good day, one where I think I did just what the team wanted and learned a lot. I’m off straight away to the next World Series round in Austria, but I can’t wait to get back into an F1 car.”

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

Wednesday – Day 1

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren

“This is the first time I?d driven at Silverstone in a Formula 1 car, and it was a fantastic experience. We covered a lot of mileage ? almost two race distances ? and, given there isn?t a great deal of testing these days, that opportunity was invaluable.

“The process of providing feedback to the engineers about the car, and testing new set-ups can only make me a stronger driver. I have to thank Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for giving me this opportunity, and I?m going to apply everything I?ve learned today.

“Getting a taste in the car only makes me more hungry to one day realise my ambition of racing in the highest level of motorsport. Without a doubt I learnt a great deal today.”

Antonio Felix da Costa, Red Bull

“It was nice to get the full day?s running, especially here. If there?s a circuit where you really feel that you?re in an F1 car it?s here at Silverstone, with all these fast corners. It something completely different and something you have to get used to but it was a great day, a great feeling.

?In terms of the work, it was a good day. Obviously, it?s not the first time for me in a Red Bull car, so everything is sort of familiar. It?s an important test for the team and my job is simply to drive consistently and not make mistakes. I think we achieved the goal of being consistent and working through the programme.?

Andy Damerum, Race Engineering Co-ordinator: “Antonio did a good job today. It?s not always easy for a driver, as there?s a lot to take and a lot of different demands being made of them. Antonio obviously drove for us at last year?s young driver test, but that was some time ago and getting back into an F1 car again isn?t always easy. But he did almost 350km before the lunch break and was feeling fine, which was good. In the morning we had him doing some specific things which didn?t provide him with the chance to set a quick lap, but after lunch when that opportunity did arise he was able to find a rhythm very quickly, which is not always easy to do and he set a decent time.”

Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

James Calado, Force India

“Getting to drive a Formula One car was a lifetime ambition and even coming to the track this morning was quite emotional. It was a completely different experience from what I am used to in GP2 but it took only a few laps to get a hold of it.

“I was able to set some sensible lap times and to give quite accurate feedback on the tyres within ten laps, which was quicker than I expected. I am here to do the best job possible and hopefully we will learn a few things from my work that can help Paul and Adrian in the rest of the season.”

Photo: Sahara Force India Formula One Team

Daniel Juncadella, Williams

“From the first lap I could feel the speed of the car and it was a great experience today. I?m really happy with the chance the team gave me. In the end, we couldn?t complete our full programme but I think we had some good runs this afternoon. I was happy with the balance of the car and it was good to try the new tyres.

“Physically I feel good, it was just quite warm today but as I?m used to closed cars in DTM I can?t complain really. I get on well with the engineers and team and we worked well together. The team has given me all the support I needed which has been really nice so I?m looking forward to getting another chance tomorrow.”

Xevi Pujolar, Chief Engineer: “We are really pleased with Dani today. He adapted to the team and the car very quickly, and was straight up to speed with all the procedures.? In terms of consistency, Dani drove clean laps and made no mistakes so we?re really happy with him. We were doing some aero development work this morning running lots of sensors on the car but we had a few problems getting everything to work together which meant we didn?t complete all the runs we wanted to. We now plan to do some more laps with him tomorrow afternoon to complete the programme including some longer runs to see how he can adapt.”

Robin Frijns, Sauber

“It was quite a busy day. We started with some aero tests this morning and did a lot of installation laps. In the afternoon we lost a bit of track time, but the crew sorted the car quite quickly. I was continuously in the car from 2.30pm until the end of the session.

“It was my first time driving a Formula One car on a high-speed track, as the Yas Marina circuit is a bit slower. It?s fun at such high speed and I got used to it quite quickly. Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel are always a bit difficult, so I had to adapt to that, which went quite well at the end.

“I drove a lot of laps on the hard tyres, which felt comfortable. With the medium tyres I didn?t feel as comfortable yet, so that is something I still need to work on. At the end of the day we did a lot of mileage and tested a lot of things. Working with the team was good fun. The boys are quite fast.?

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: “Having driven with us before, Robin was quickly up to speed and did a solid job in the car, performing many additional data gathering tasks as well as providing valuable driver feedback.”

Photo: Sauber F1 Team

Alexander Rossi, Caterham

“It’s been a productive day and I think we’re all pleased we’ve completed such a good number of laps. Obviously for me today was another piece of the F1 jigsaw, adding more experience of the 2013 car on top of the Canadian GP FP1 session I did in June, but really my main priority was helping the team continue the push towards the cars ahead.

“After the installation lap we were straight into the program, running through a number of test items in both the morning and afternoon sessions that will help the team in the coming races.

“We didn’t have any reliability issues until late in the day when we had a hydraulics problem and that unfortunately meant I didn’t have a chance to put in a really quick lap, but we were still able to complete most of the day’s plan and that’s good, for the team and for me as it means we have both got pretty much everything we could from day one of the test.”

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

Tio Ellinas, Marussia

“Without doubt, today has been the best moment of my life. It was a fantastic experience that I know I will remember forever. I feel very proud to be representing my country and to have so much support from the people back home in Cyprus. I have driven the car once before, at the team?s straight-line test at Kemble, but this was my first time out in a Formula 1 car at a proper circuit and so it felt like the first time all over again.

“There was a lot of familiarisation to do at the start of the day. I obviously have some experience of things like the very complex layout on the steering wheel; it?s still so much to take in though. I was also using KERS and DRS today for the first time and there is such a lot to think about over the course of a lap. I soon built up my confidence though and after a few single lap runs I was building up to longer runs and I was really able to start putting a lap together.

“I am happy with my performance today and the team seem pleased with me. I have received some great feedback and support from them so I can?t thank them enough for that. Everything has gone according to plan so I can?t ask for any more than that right now. Now I will try to refocus on the GP3 Championship and my ambitions for that this season.?

John Booth, Team Principal: “The whole team was pleased to see Tio in the car this morning as just reward for his very positive debut season in GP3 last year. He got off to a good start, conducting some aero measurements similar to those he ran through in Kemble and then he set about completing some timed laps. It is clearly a huge amount for the young drivers to take in, stepping up from GP3 to F1 and working with not only many more people but more complicated systems on the cars. However, Tio took all of this in his stride and achieved the objective of improving every run, running two good qualifying simulations on the soft tyres.”

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Photo: McLaren/LAT

Kevin Magnussen posted the fastest time for McLaren late on the first day of the young driver test at Silverstone.

It was GP2 ace James Calado who went fastest during the morning in his proper F1 test. Driving for Force India, the Briton achieved a time of 1m33.986s, putting him nearly half a second clear at the midway point of the day. He handed over to Force India’s race driver Paul Di Resta for the afternoon and slipped to fourth, two spots behind the Scot, who was focussed on tyre testing as per the regulations.

Magnussen languished ninth of the ten runners during the middle of the day, but brought himself up the order during the afternoon before going quickest in the final 20 minutes, 0.172s faster than Di Resta. McLaren’s regular testers Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett will now do the two remaining days of the test as Magnussen heads out to the FR3.5 round in Spielberg.

Third was?Antonio Felix da Costa for Red Bull, who were forced into a change of plan that saw the Portuguese driver spend the entire day behind the wheel of the RB9. He had only been scheduled to do the morning on the first day before handing over to Daniel Ricciardo, but the team tweaked their plans so that they only used race drivers for two half-days as per the rules, rather than the three which they had originally announced. Ricciardo will now run on Thursday afternoon instead of Mark Webber, the man he is trying to replace at Red Bull. Felix da Costa will still do Thursday morning and Carlos Sainz do the Friday morning as planned.

Only one tenth behind Calado was Daniel Juncadella for Williams. In his first appearance at an official F1 test, the DTM driver and F3 champion had a quiet start to the day before moving up to fifth. Johnny Cecotto was a further tenth back in sixth for Toro Rosso, just ahead of Sauber’s Robin Frijns.

Nicolas Prost and Davide Rigon were eighth and ninth respectively for Lotus and Ferrari. Alexander Rossi had been fifth quickest at the halfway point for Caterham, but a hydraulics issue late on stopped him improving and left him tenth, two seconds away from Magnussen. Marussia had their GP3 star Tio Ellinas and race driver Max Chilton sharing the car, finishing 11th and 12th.

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The recent Pirelli tyre debacle prompted the FIA to permit teams to run their race drivers for a maximum of one day at the test, so long as they are working on tyre development only.

Despite both that and the financial difficulties encountered by many of the teams on the F1 grid, a number of highly-rated drivers are getting an opportunity – many experiencing their first F1 mileage. Here’s the lowdown on each of the ‘young drivers’ involved.

Antonio Felix da Costa

Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Felix da Costa gets his second testing chance with the Red Bull team, but this one is restricted just to Wednesday and Thursday morning thanks to a combination of the rule break for race drivers and the scheduling of a Formula Renault 3.5 round this weekend. After his incredible form in late 2012 he began the FR3.5 season as the title favourite, but he only sits third in the current standings with one win to his name.

Nonetheless, he is banging on the door of a Toro Rosso seat and the test provides a good opportunity to show what he can do, particularly with the team evaluating Daniel Ricciardo on Wednesday afternoon. Mark Webber does Thursday afternoon and Sebastian Vettel Friday afternoon.

Carlos Sainz

Photo: Marcello Di Benedetto/Toro Rosso

Sainz will make his F1 testing bow with Toro Rosso on Thursday morning before driving the Red Bull on Friday morning. The son of the world rally champion, Sainz has shown promise on Red Bull’s junior programme, fourth in Formula BMW in 2010 in his rookie car season, then runner-up to Robin Frijns in the Formula Renault Eurocup.

He was wildly inconsistent during a year of F3 last season, with dominant wins in the wet mixed with some frequent collisions. Still only 18, his form in GP3 this year has been similarly erratic, but again showed well when he finished sixth on his Formula Renault 3.5 debut in Monaco. He is backed not only by Red Bull, but also by Toro Rosso sponsor Cepsa.

Davide Rigon

Photo: V-IMAGES.com/Fabre

After making his Ferrari debut at Magny-Cours last year, the 26-year-old gets to do two and a half days this week, making way only for race driver Felipe Massa on Friday morning. After winning Superleague Formula titles in 2008 and 2010, he entered GP2 in 2011 only to sustain an injury in the first weekend that kept him out for the rest of the year.

He’s since focussed on GT racing with Ferrari, currently leading the Blancpain Endurance Series standings. While giving regular simulator driver Rigon time for car development makes sense, it’s a crying shame Ferrari didn’t give their European F3 star Raffaele Marciello a go as well.

Kevin Magnussen

Photo: McLaren/LAT

Magnussen makes his second testing appearance for McLaren on Wednesday, after impressing the team on his debut in Abu Dhabi last November. The 20-year-old Dane has been a star in Formula Renault 3.5 so far this year, currently sitting just three points off the lead with two race victories to his name.

He has followed in the footsteps of his father Jan by driving for the Woking squad, and like Jan he’s had a successful career in the junior categories. After winning the Formula Ford title in Denmark in 2008, he finished runner-up in the Formula Renault NEC, third in German F3 and then second in British F3 before stepping up to FR3.5 last year.

Oliver Turvey

Photo: McLaren/LAT

Taking over from Magnussen for Thursday is 26-year-old Turvey, who last raced a single-seater in a one-off GP2 appearance in 2011 but has since become a valuable member of McLaren’s team of development drivers. This year he’s also started racing prototype sportscars, and was one of the quickest drivers in the LMP2 category at Le Mans on his debut.

After winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2006, he rose up the ranks as the first driver supported by the Racing Steps Foundation. He was runner-up in British F3 in 2008, fourth in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2009 and then sixth in his rookie season of GP2 in 2010 before funding ran dry. He’d make a great F1 driver if he ever got the chance, but his chances are very slim.

Gary Paffett

Photo: Daimler AG

Now 32, Paffett is understandably lambasted every time the young driver test comes along, but he’s been unfortunate to never get an F1 race chance. After winning the title in German F3 (which then became the Euro Series) in 2002, he switched to the DTM with Mercedes after an F3000 ride collapsed. Champion there in 2005, he has been with McLaren ever since.

He was overlooked for a race seat when Lewis Hamilton came along, and might have driven for Prodrive had they got on the grid in 2008. Still eligible for these tests having yet to do a Grand Prix, McLaren would be foolish not to use his experience alongside their younger talent.

Nicolas Prost

Photo: Lotus/LAT

Rivalling Paffett in pushing the boundaries of a ‘young driver’, 31-year-old Prost was a bit average in his single-seater career. Third in Spanish F3 in 2007, the following year he won the title in the not-particularly-competitive Euroseries 3000. Sensibly, he switched to sportscars and has found his niche with the Rebellion LMP1 team, partnering Neel Jani and Nick Heidfeld.

Without the testing experience of Paffett, it is for another reason that Lotus will run him on Wednesday. He is of course the son of Alain Prost, and as he’s managed by the Gravity firm of Genii and Eric Boullier, the test provides the chance for them to get his famous name out there. That’s a bit of a shame when there are some talented young names on Gravity’s books.

Davide Valsecchi

Photo: Lotus F1 Team/LAT

Valsecchi made his debut with Lotus at last year’s young driver test in Abu Dhabi after winning the GP2 title, and impressed with his speed (but then he would – he always goes well at Middle Eastern circuits) and bagged a reserve deal for 2013. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old, other than a morning filling in for an ill Kimi Raikkonen in pre-season, Thursday might be the only running he gets this year, as Raikkonen will steal his place for Friday if he can be bothered to turn up.

A GP2 title is usually the mark of a special driver, but it did take Valsecchi five years to do it, and even then he was pretty unconvincing, winning only once outside of Bahrain. Even though he could afford all that time in GP2, he hasn’t yet been able to secure an F1 race seat.

Robin Frijns

Photo: Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service

Formula Renault 3.5 champion at the first attempt last year, Frijns was made to make do with a reserve role with Sauber rather than a race seat. The 21-year-old will do the first day and a half of the test, and although that’s the only F1 action he’s likely to get this year, he should be grateful for it given Sauber’s financial situation and his lack of sponsorship. Nico Hulkenberg takes over for tyre work on the Thursday afternoon.

Frijns agreed a GP2 ride with new team Hilmer for round two, but since a win and a second at Barcelona, he’s managed to score points in just one race out of six. Without more repeats of those Barcelona results, it’s hard to see that his F1 chance will come next year.

Kimiya Sato

Photo: Auto GP

Sato has reportedly paid a quarter of a million euros for the chance to make his F1 debut with Sauber on Friday, helping to relieve the Swiss team’s financial difficulties. The 23-year-old’s career is overseen by 1990s F1 pay driver Taki Inoue, but he does come with some recent on-track form as well as a big wallet.

He’s tied for the lead of the Auto GP standings after three early wins. Those results have been something of a surprise, as four years of F3 in Japan and Europe didn’t bring anything outstanding. He had a reverse-grid win in a thinly-supported Euro Series in 2011, and then four wins after a step back to German F3.

James Calado

Photo: Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service

Calado gets his first proper F1 test thanks to Force India, long overdue after his impressive rookie season in GP2 last year. The chance has come after joining Nicolas Todt’s management stable, with Todt having placed Jules Bianchi at Force India as reserve last year. The 24-year-old has already quietly conducted at least a couple of straightline tests for the team, and is being evaluated for the vacant reserve role in the squad, which could provide him with some Friday practice running later in the year.

His second GP2 season hasn’t quite gone to plan, sitting only fifth in the points, but he reminded us of his ability with two fine drives to second place at the Nurburgring. Shares the car this week with race drivers Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil.

Daniel Juncadella

Photo: Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service

Juncadella won last year’s European F3 title, and is now racing in the DTM for Mercedes-Benz, who backed him in F3. He scored a maiden podium in the highly-competitive tin-top series at the Norisring last weekend. He was the other casualty, along with Sam Bird, of Mercedes being banned from this test.

A chance with Williams was always on the cards though, after his personal backer Astana – the capital of Kazakhstan – signed a deal with the team. Then there’s the links to Mercedes through Toto Wolff. The 22-year-old Spaniard will open the test for Williams on Wednesday, but it won’t be his first time in an F1 car, as he tested a 2009 Ferrari late last year as a prize for his FIA F3 success.

Susie Wolff

Photo: Daimler AG

Wolff is another to arrive at Williams from Mercedes’ DTM team, but while Juncadella’s managed a podium in just his fifth race, Wolff achieved just two seventh places in seven years before quitting at the end of last year. Her marriage to team shareholder Toto Wolff and high profile as a female racing driver have helped secure her a development role.

After a filming day run last year and some straightline aero tests this year, Friday will be her first proper test. Pastor Maldonado is on tyre duty on Thursday.

Johnny Cecotto

Photo: Marcello Di Benedetto/Toro Rosso

Cecotto is a controversial choice for the young driver test after a string of highly-criticised incidents in GP2 this year. The reality is that this test could well be part of his contract with Arden for 2013, since drivers for the Christian Horner-owned squad tend to get access to facilities at Milton Keynes and a test with the satellite Toro Rosso team could be an extension of that.

Cecotto did last year’s young driver test with Toro Rosso, and 2011’s with Force India. While he can occasionally show great speed – like getting on pole in Monaco – the other side to him is likely to make F1 teams think twice before accepting any Venezuelan dollars he can bring to the table in exchange for a race seat. He gets a full day of running on Wednesday.

Daniil Kvyat

Photo: Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service

Kvyat makes his F1 debut with Toro Rosso on Friday afternoon, once Sainz, Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne have succeeded Cecotto behind the wheel. The 19-year-old Russian is another from Red Bull’s young driver programme, and is team-mate to Sainz in GP3 this season, sitting eighth in the standings with two more points than the Spaniard.

He is also contesting a European F3 campaign, where he’s claimed five podium finishes and three pole positions from four weekends. He was runner-up to Stoffel Vandoorne in last year’s Formula Renault Eurocup, after finishing third behind Frijns and Sainz the year before.

Alexander Rossi

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

Rossi is taking part in his fourth young driver test and his third consecutive with Caterham (the first was with BMW Sauber in 2009). He has already driven this year’s car in free practice at the Canadian Grand Prix, and will get another go on Wednesday.

He started the year without a race seat for the season ahead, but was given a ride with Caterham’s GP2 seat from the second round. He promptly scored a podium in Bahrain but has since slipped to 13th in the standings. He previously spent two years in Formula Renault 3.5, finishing third in 2011 before a difficult season second with the new Arden Caterham team.

Will Stevens

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

Stevens is a recent recruit to Caterham’s young driver academy, and gets a quick first taste of F1 machinery on Thursday. He currently sits fourth in the Formula Renault 3.5 standings behind superstars Vandoorne, Magnussen and Felix da Costa. He has been at the sharp end in every series he’s contested, even though he only has four race wins to his name from four and a half seasons.

He was signed up by Honda’s F1 team in 2008 after a strong karting career, later going on to finish fourth in Formula Renault UK in 2010, fourth in the Eurocup in 2011 and 12th in his rookie FR3.5 campaign last year. Race drivers Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic share the Caterham on the final day.

Tio Ellinas

Photo: Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service

Ellinas is the latest driver to get an F1 test with Marussia as a prize for finishing as the top driver in the GP3 squad. After an impressive rookie season last year, the Cypriot is now leading this year’s championship after following up a victory in the season opener with an unbroken run of points finishes.

He’s had his test reduced to just Wednesday morning after Marussia realised it would be sensible to take advantage of the rule change and give their rookie race drivers some mileage, but credit should go to them for sticking with their commitment of a test for an underfunded driver. They’ve already given him a straightline aero test too.

Rodolfo Gonzalez

Photo: Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service

At the other end of the scale we have Gonzalez. He’s already taken in the young driver tests with Caterham in 2010 and 2011 and with Force India last year. Then, after a GP2 record of three points finishes in 64 races over three seasons, he signed to be Marussia’s reserve driver for this year, and has already taken in Friday practice runs in Bahrain, Barcelona and the Nurburgring.

He might have the backing of PDVSA, but this Venzuelan has none of the talent that Maldonado has. As a disclaimer, he has tended to look a bit better in his F1 tests than in GP2, but that’s not the point. He will do the whole of Thursday and then Friday morning. Max Chilton does Wednesday afternoon, Jules Bianchi Friday afternoon.

The post Preview: Talent gets F1 chance at Silverstone despite rule break appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

Alexander Rossi and Will Stevens will drive for Caterham at this week’s young driver test at Silverstone, the team have announced.

Rossi has tested with the team on numerous occasions as part of their driver development programme, and has already been behind the wheel of this year’s car in Friday practice at the Canadian Grand Prix. The American is also racing in GP2 this year, lying 13th in the standings.

Stevens was recently signed to the Caterham Racing Academy, and will now make his debut F1 appearance with the team. He’s currently fourth in the Formula Renault 3.5 standings.

“Silverstone will be the second time this year I?ve driven the 2013 F1 car and it?ll be good to be back in the cockpit on a track I know very well,” said Rossi. “We have a busy workload ahead of us and I?m pleased I can both add this as another step in my development as an F1 driver, and help the team continue the push for the second half of the F1 season.”

Stevens added: “Since the announcement was made about me joining the Caterham Racing Academy I?ve settled in quickly with the F1 team and they?ve made every effort to help me prepare fully for my first run in a F1 car on day two of the test. I spent quite a bit of time last week in the simulator so I?m comfortable with most of the systems I?ll be working with and, while obviously nothing can really prepare you for the first time you drive an F1 car, I?m as ready as I can be.”

Rossi will drive on the Wednesday and Stevens on the Thursday before race drivers Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic take over to sample the new Pirelli tyres on Friday. There is no action for Rossi’s GP2 team-mate Sergio Canamasas.

A full guide to the young driver test line-up will follow later on Tuesday.

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GP2 race winner James Calado has been confirmed by Force India as their young driver of choice for the upcoming Silverstone test, where Calado will share driving responsibilities with the team’s two regulars – Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta.

The 24-year-old Brit joined Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management outfit earlier in the year and, since then, has partaken in aero tests for Force India. At Silverstone, Calado is scheduled to get testing runs across all three days.

“We are pleased to give James the opportunity to test with us at Silverstone”, stated Force India’s team principal Vijay Mallya. “As a graduate of the Racing Steps Foundation, his talent and determination have brought him to our attention and this is the ideal occasion to evaluate him further. The priority this week is to give the team a better understanding of the new Pirelli tyres due to be introduced next week in Budapest.”

2013 has been a rocky year for the Briton, who entered the championship as the overwhelming title favorite after a highly-rated rookie year performance with ART Grand Prix. Continuing on with the French squad, Calado struggled for pace ever since the season opener, but a stellar performance at the most recent round of the series at Silverstone has left him with an outside shot at the title, as he occupies fifth in the standings.

It should be noted that fellow All Road Management driver Jules Bianchi occupied the reserve driver role at Force India in 2012, before scoring a last-minute deal to race with Marussia F1 for this year.

PaddockScout comment

By Valentin Khorounzhiy

While James Calado’s GP2 career has been going through a bit of a sophomore slump, it is almost impossible to suggest that the Briton’s F1 test opportunity wasn’t scored on merit.

After two straight years of finishing runner-up in various junior single-seaters championships (British F3 in 2010 and the mega-competitive GP3 in 2011), Calado firmly put himself on the map with a stunning rookie campaign in GP2, where he overshadowed highly-rated teammate Esteban Gutierrez on his way to two wins and fifth in the standings. Whilst highest-placed rookie, he could’ve very well been in a better position in the standings if not for two lacklustre weekends in the final stages of the year, including a Singapore round that saw James struggle with food poisoning. Unfortunately, his 2012 performances could not compensate for a lack of budget and, thus, he missed out on last year’s YDT.

Opportunities have come by a lot easier ever since Calado came under Todt’s wing and, while this year hasn’t lived up to expectations, it’s not entirely unfair to suggest the larger problem lies in the car and an inherent lack of pace. At Nurburgring, James reminded just what he’s capable of – very much in time for this outing.

Force India should be applauded for the choice. Calado’s testing debut is one that has been long overdue, but, as the saying goes, it’s better late than never.

The post Calado scores Silverstone run with Force India appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Marcello Di Benedetto/Toro Rosso

Daniil Kvyat will join GP3 team-mate Carlos Sainz in making his Formula 1 testing debut for Toro Rosso in this week’s young driver test at Silverstone.

Johnny Cecotto, who drives for the Red Bull-associated Arden team in GP2, will drive the Italian squad’s car on Wednesday, before Sainz runs on Thursday morning.

Race driver Daniel Ricciardo will sample new tyres on Thursday afternoon, with Jean-Eric Vergne doing the same on Friday morning. Kvyat will then take over for Friday afternoon.

Sainz was previously announced as getting running for the parent Red Bull team, which the team have now confirmed will come on Friday morning.

Antonio Felix da Costa will do Wednesday morning and Thursday morning, with Red Bull stating that will fulfil their obligation to give Felix da Costa a day in the RB9 for leading the Formula Renault 3.5 standings. The Portuguese driver actually sits third in the standings behind McLaren-contracted drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Kevin Magnussen.

Red Bull will use the afternoon sessions to run race drivers Ricciardo, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel respectively.

A full guide to the young driver test line-up will follow later on Tuesday.

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Photo: McLaren

Formula Renault 3.5 title contender Kevin Magnussen will make his second testing appearance for McLaren on the first day of the young driver test at Silverstone on Wednesday.

After impressing the team during his debut at the same event last November in Abu Dhabi, the Dane will commence the Woking outfit’s running this week.

While Magnussen then travels out to this weekend’s FR3.5 round in Spielberg, the team’s more experienced testers Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett will take over for the remaining two days. The team have opted not to use either of their race drivers, despite a rule break permitting them to do so for the purpose of tyre testing.

Magnussen currently lies second in the FR3.5 standings, three points behind Stoffel Vandoorne, also a member of McLaren’s young driver programme.

PaddockScout comment

By Peter Allen

On a day that the driver placed eighth in the FR3.5 standings is linked to an F1 race seat for 2014, it will no doubt frustrate many that championship leader Vandoorne hasn’t been given a chance this week by McLaren. There’s no denying that the Belgian deserves such an opportunity soon, but it’s understandable that hasn’t come this week.

With the young driver test coming mid-season this year, McLaren must take advantage of the track time to try and solve some of the issues they’ve suffered with their 2013 car. Paffett, Turvey and Magnussen all have F1 experience, drove last year’s McLaren when it was on top-form in Abu Dhabi, and are understood to have been sharing the bulk of the simulator work as well as the official role of reserve at each of this year’s Grands Prix. Vandoorne meanwhile is relatively new to the McLaren fold and has much less experience of being involved with the F1 team.

Furthermore, with practice for this weekend’s FR3.5 round in Austria taking place on Friday, McLaren would have had limited time in which they could have run both Magnussen and Vandoorne.

Had the young driver test been where it ought to be – after the end of the junior seasons – then McLaren would have been able to give Vandoorne a test without much problem. He would have been available, and the test would have been less crucial to the team for car development.

Even if he’ll have to wait for his F1 debut, the future is bright for Vandoorne after signing with Jenson Button’s management company.

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