Yelloly in frame for third driver role at Force India

Nick Yelloly could become Force India's official third driver if he impresses during a test outing for the team in Barcelona.

The young Briton is taking part in his first F1 test on Tuesday at the Circuit de Catalunya, driving the VJM08. With Yelloly also racing for Force India-affiliated Hilmer Motorsport in GP2, Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley told F1i the outing is the next step in preparing him for a potential future third driver role.

“He’s been with us for a little while actually and he’s doing a super job on the simulator program, so the idea behind this is to give him some actual track experience so that it enhances his simulator development program,” Fernley said.

With Fernley confirming Force India is still talking about who should be its third driver, he says Yelloly is currently top of the list.

"I think we should always keep doors open and Nick’s proving to be a very valuable team member. Obviously he’s doing some work with Hilmer now as well, so all that bodes well for him for the future.”

For live coverage of the opening day of testing, click here

Click here for Tuesday's gallery from testing at the Circuit de Catalunya

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

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