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Wittmann and Fuoco to make F1 test debuts in Austria
DTM star Marco Wittmann and GP3 racer Antonio Fuoco will get their first taste of Formula One machinery this week, driving for Toro Rosso and Ferrari respectively in the two-day Spielberg test starting Tuesday.
Wittmann receives his chance as a prize for winning last year’s DTM championship with BMW. He will take over the STR10 from Max Verstappen for the second day of the test.
"It is fantastic that BMW Motorsport and Red Bull are giving me this opportunity to take part in the test," he said. "As a child, I always wanted to drive a Formula One car. This is a dream come true for me."
Ferrari - along with Force India, one of only two teams not using either of their 2015 race drivers for the test - will run Fuoco, a member of their Young Driver Academy, and their 2015 F1 reserve Esteban Gutierrez.
Force India, meanwhile, will split the two days between Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein and GP3 title contender Esteban Ocon, who also has Mercedes affiliations. Wehrlein will be in action for Mercedes too, taking over from Nico Rosberg - who triumphed on Sunday in Spielberg - for the second day.
Elsewhere, GP2 championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne - who dominated again in Austria with a victory and a second place - will drive the 2015 McLaren MP4-30 for the first time on day one. Fernando Alonso had been due to take control for the first day, but will now do so on day two after McLaren switched their line-up following the Spaniard's opening lap collision with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen on Sunday.
Susie Wolff, meanwhile, will be at the wheel for Williams on the first day, less than two weeks ahead of her scheduled free practice appearance for the team in her home Grand Prix at Silverstone. Valtteri Bottas will take over the FW37 for the final day.
Red Bull will split the test between Daniel Ricciardo and protege Pierre Gasly, who claimed a sixth-place finish in the GP2 race in Austria on the weekend.
Romain Grosjean and Jolyon Palmer will drive on the first and second days respectively for Lotus, while Ferrari protege and GP2 race winner Raffaele Marciello will be in action for Sauber on day one, before Felipe Nasr takes over on day two.
As was the case for the last in-season test in Barcelona, Marussia will not take part.
Formula1.com and our official Twitter channel, @F1, will bring you the latest news, images and reaction throughout the Spielberg test. Subscribers to the official F1 App can also get regular live updates on the latest testing times from Austria.
The provisional driver line-ups in full:
Tuesday | Wednesday | |
---|---|---|
Mercedes | Nico Rosberg | Pascal Wehrlein |
Ferrari | Antonio Fuoco | Esteban Gutierrez |
Williams | Susie Wolff | Valtteri Bottas |
Red Bull | Pierre Gasly | Daniel Ricciardo |
Force India | Pascal Wehrlein | Esteban Ocon |
Lotus | Romain Grosjean | Jolyon Palmer |
Sauber | Raffaele Marciello | Felipe Nasr |
Toro Rosso | Max Verstappen | Marco Wittmann |
McLaren | Stoffel Vandoorne | Fernando Alonso |
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