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17-year-old Mazepin to test for Force India

Nikita Mazepin will drive for Force India on both days of the in-season test at Silverstone following the British Grand Prix.

The 17-year-old joined Force India at the start of the season as development driver, combining the role with a first season in the European F3 Championship. Mazepin has so far scored a solitary point from the opening 15 races, though he missed one race after being banned for a physical altercation with Callum Illot.

Although Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez are both eligible to drive in the test as Alfonso Celis Jr completed the two in-season test days in Barcelona in May, Mazepin will make his F1 debut in Silverstone next week and says he feels ready for the challenge.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to test the VJM09 at Silverstone," Mazepin said. "There’s no doubt it will be the biggest moment of my career and it’s something I’ve been working towards my whole life.

"It’s been a few months since I joined the team and I feel ready for this opportunity. I know it’s an important test for the team and they will be counting on me to do a good job, so I will work hard to make sure we achieve our objectives."

Team principal Vijay Mallya says Force India has seen an improvement from Mazepin in the simulator since he joined the team in February.

“In just a few months since his announcement as a development driver, Nikita has shown a great level of technical understanding to go with his driving skills," Mallya said. "His progress in our simulator has been excellent and to be in the car during this test is the next step in his natural progression within the team. We are looking forward to working with him in Silverstone.”

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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.