Williams announce new reserve driver

Williams have announced that Jack Aitken will be their reserve driver for the upcoming 2020 F1 campaign after the 24-year-old left Renault this week.

Aitken had been a member of the young driver programme of the French team since 2016, and since then had moved up from GP2 Series to Formula 2.

One day after his departure from Renault, Williams have announced his recruitment.

“ROKiT Williams Racing is pleased to confirm Jack Aitken as the team’s Official Reserve Driver for the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship,” a press release on Tuesday read.

“Jack, 24 joins Williams following his impressive season in FIA Formula 2 where he won three races for the Campos Racing team (its first ever victories in the series) and finished fifth in the standings.

“Before that, he was a double Formula Renault champion and went on to be runner-up in GP3 in 2017. Alongside his F2 racing commitments, Jack has spent time with the Renault F1 Team as their Reserve and Test Driver over the past two seasons, gaining valuable experience both on and off the track.

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“In his new role as Williams’ Reserve Driver, Jack will attend all F1 Grands Prix during the year, integrating himself into the trackside team and be on hand should the need arise to replace one of the race drivers. Jack will undertake crucial work for Williams in the team’s simulator and will make his debut on-track appearance during an F1 race weekend by taking part in a Friday FP1 session.

“Finally, Jack will support the team in media and marketing activities throughout the year.”

The driver himself described joining the team as an “honour”.

“It is a great honour to join ROKiT Williams Racing as their Reserve Driver for the 2020 season,” he said.

“Williams is a team with strong heritage, and continued longevity, and I’m looking forward to directly contributing to their development through my simulator and testing work.”

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