Pascal Wehrlein to test with Force India

Pascal Wehrlein

Silverstone (England), Feb 18 (IANS)

German Pascal Wehrlein will drive for Formula 1 team Force India at the upcoming testing session in Barcelona, beginning Thursday. The 20-year-old, who is the reserve driver for Mercedes, will spend two days behind the wheel of the team's 2014 car -- the VJM07.

The team's testing programme will primarily focus on evaluation of the 2015 Pirelli tyres. Wehrlein had also tested the Mercedes at the season-ending test in Abu Dhabi last year.

The German will drive the VJM07 Thursday and Saturday while Force India regulars Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg will drive Friday and Sunday.

Given the team's current build schedule, the VJM08 is expected to make its debut at the second Barcelona test, scheduled to begin Feb 26.

"I am very happy that Force India has offered me the opportunity to drive their car for two days at the official test in Barcelona and that Mercedes-Benz has supported me to make this happen. As a young driver, any time you can spend in the car is extremely important and you can learn a lot," said Wehrlein.

"My first goal in Spain will be to do a great job together with the team, to learn as much as possible and to give good feedback to the engineers. I want to be as competitive as possible. Force India performed very strongly last season and I hope I will be able to make a small contribution to push the team forward."