Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsForce India

Force India to give Celis drive in Abu Dhabi test

Force India has named Alfonso Celis as a development driver and will run the Mexican in the Pirelli tyre test in Abu Dhabi.

Celis has been racing in GP3 this year, currently sitting 13th in the drivers' championship with a best finish of third place in the Belgium sprint race. The 19-year-old has also been competing in World Series by Renault and finished the season 16th in the standings. He has now been taken on by Force India ahead of the Pirelli tyre test following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where he will share driving duties with Nico Hulkenberg,

“Ever since I started racing I’ve been dreaming of Formula One, so it’s a huge honour to begin working with Sahara Force India," Celis said. "It’s an amazing opportunity for me to learn about Formula One and to work closely with the engineers and race drivers.

"Being on the track in Abu Dhabi will be an incredible feeling. It’s going to be the biggest moment in my career and I am fully focussed on doing a good job for the team.”

Team principal Vijay Mallya says Celis will be able to work closely with current race drivers Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

“I would like to welcome Alfonso to the team and wish him well ahead of his debut with us in Abu Dhabi," Mallya said. "As our development driver we will work hard to prepare him for the demands of driving in Formula One and provide a good grounding in all aspects of the job. It’s a fantastic opportunity for Alfonso to learn from Sergio and Nico, and to get valuable mileage in the car.”

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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.