Photo: Renault Sport/DPPI
Formula Renault 3.5 Series frontrunner Will Stevens has been signed to the Caterham Racing Academy.
Stevens is currently fourth in the FR3.5 standings after last weekend’s Moscow round, behind McLaren duo Stoffel Vandoorne and Kevin Magnussen and Red Bull’s Antonio Felix da Costa.
British driver Stevens was previously on the books at Honda’s F1 team in 2008 as a karter, and its successor Brawn GP in 2009 as he moved into cars.
“I?m very pleased to be joining Caterham Racing Academy,” said Stevens, now 21.
“It?s a great program and one I?m sure will help me continue to develop, particularly with the access I?ll now have to the F1 team and all the facilities at Leafield. It?ll be an honour to race as part of the Academy and I?m excited about starting the program as soon as possible.”
Mia Sharizman, head of the Academy and the Caterham Racing GP2 team, said: “We?ve been monitoring Will?s progress since the start of the 2012 season and we?re very pleased that he?s now taken up the opportunity to join Caterham Racing Academy.
“Every season he?s demonstrated that he has the ability to keep raising his game as he progresses onto ever more demanding championships, and the fact he?s now in a strong fourth place in Formula Renault 3.5, in a very talented field, is a clear sign that he has the natural talent to compete at the very top level. We?ll now be giving him exposure to the F1 environment, helping him prepare for the step every driver wants to take, to compete in the Formula One World Championship.”