F1
Why unloved Lotus 76 may be Colin Chapman's most significant car
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
Oliver Rowland signs with Williams F1
Williams signs Oliver Rowland to young driver programme
Formula Renault 3.5 champion Oliver Rowland has been signed to Williams’ Formula 1 programme as a young driver for the 2018 season. The 25-year-old will work on the simulator at the team’s Grove facility and drive the FW41 in the young driver test, either at Barcelona later this month or at the Hungaroring in July/August.
Rowland finished third in the 2017 Formula 2 Championship with wins at Monaco and Hungary and 10 podium finishes in all. Renault appointed him as a development driver, and the Briton has previously tested for McLaren and Red Bull. He will compete in the World Endurance Championship ‘superseason’ LMP1 class for TRSM Racing.
Claire Williams, deputy team principal, said, “his addition to Williams will further strengthen the team.” Williams’ driver line-up for the 2018 F1 season now consists of Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin with Robert Kubica in a reserve role.
Oliver Rowland added: “I am immensely proud to be joining Williams as its official young driver. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me and I will be working as hard as I possibly can to help them develop the car this season.
“Williams is a British team with a fantastic heritage and history which has made it one of the most respected teams in the sport. It’s always been my ambition to get a role in F1 and I’m very excited to be doing that with Williams. It has always given young drivers the opportunity to progress so it’s now up to me to make a good impression and further my development as a driver. Hopefully with my hard work in the simulator and test I can impress the team. It’s certainly going to be an exciting challenge ahead and I want to help Williams as the team continues to work to close the gap to the front of the grid in 2018.”
Related:
You may also like
F1
Racing through the pain barrier: drivers who endured agony to reach the finish line
Finishing sixth in the Bahrain Grand Prix with broken wrists and a fractured toe, Lance Stroll is the latest racer to block out torturous pain rather than miss a race. Here are some of the most incredible stories
F1
The scramble to catch Red Bull – can any F1 team close the gap?
The hot pursuit of keeping up with Red Bull is causing serious headaches for Mercedes and Ferrari, with Aston Martin remaining realistic
F1
Unsettled Williams lacks 'vision of excellence' says new F1 boss Vowles
Williams was the second-most improved F1 team at the Bahrain GP, with Alex Albon scoring a point. But new team principal James Vowles says that it will take years to break into the midfield fight, as he overcomes the legacy left by seasons of struggle