Red Bull eye Highlander Lewis posted in MSPOR08 | 04 | 2011
HIGHLANDER LEWIS WILLIAMSON, who will contest this year's GP3 Championship, has caught the eye of senior bosses at Red Bull F1 and is close to being taken on under the team's Young Driver Development Programme.
The 21-year-old from Golspie will replace Red Bull's Formula One test and reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo at next weekend's opening race in the Formula Renault 3.5 Championship in Spain.
Aussie Ricciardo, last year's runner-up in the FRenault 3.5 Championship, has to sit-out the opener because he will be on duty with the Red Bull F1 team next weekend taking part in Friday's test session ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Williamson — last year's runner-up in the British Formula Renault Championship, and the McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year — received a call earlier this week from Helmut Marko, the Austrian behind the development of current F1 world champ Sebastian Vettel.
It's understood Red Bull is now close to taking Williamson into its highly respected and successful Young Driver Development Programme.
Having impressed in the two pre-season GP3 tests driving for the MW Arden team, which just happens to be owned by Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner and racer Mark Webber, Williamson was the first man they turned to replace Ricciardo.
As a result, the Highland Arena-backed Scot will now make his FRenault 3.5 race debut for the ISR Racing team at the first round of the year at Motorland Aragon, near Alcaniz in south-east Spain.
"It's a fantastic opportunity and a terrific privilege to get the call," Williamson, who tested at the Spanish track with the ISR team last November as part of his prize for finishing runner-up in the UK championship, said today.
Williamson will fly to Spain on Monday to prepare for the final three-day GP3 pre-season test which starts at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona on Tuesday. On Thursday evening he will drive to Alcaniz to prepare for Friday's test session in the FRenault 3.5 car before tackling qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/scotcars
Jim McGill