Britain’s Paul di Resta and America’s JR Hildebrand will represent Force India at the young drivers test at Jerez, Spain, from December 1-3, the team announced on Tuesday.
The announcement puts an end to Karun Chandhok’s hope of recording some useful miles behind Force India wheels. Chandhok’s name was among the many, who were vying for a Force India seat for the test session.
Speaking to DNA, Chandhok said, “We talked about it and I expressed my ambitions to do something with Force India. But they opted to go with other drivers. That’s their decision but I’m not disappointed.”
With ban on end-of-season testing, the FIA has made a provision to give aspiring drivers some useful time behind the wheels of an F1 car. Only drivers with less than three races of F1 experience are eligible for the test.
Di Resta, 23, competes for Force India’s engine partners Mercedes in the German touring car championship. The Scot has also tested twice for McLaren.
Hildebrand, 21, is the Indy Lights series champion and the Californian will be the first American to test a Formula One car since Scott Speed was at Toro Rosso in 2007. “We are delighted to have Paul and JR on board for the young driver test. Their showing in the simulator was excellent and we had no hesitations in offering them some valuable testing. We will be looking at their performance on track very closely and 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,” team owner Vijay Mallya said.
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