Paffett Will Be McLaren Reserve for the First 4 GPs

McLaren Mercedes seem to have solved their reserve driver issues ahead of the new season, appointing Gary Paffett to be the team's 3rd racer for the first 4 rounds of the 2010 season. Therefore, the solution found by the Woking based team is only temporary, as it means the Brit will only attend the Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and China grands prix from the McLaren garage.

Until 2010, it was Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa who took care of the testing and reserve business at Woking, but he left the team only a couple of weeks before the winter testing to join Sauber F1 as a race driver. Consequently, the team called Paffett to take over from the Spaniard for the February testing, while revealing they will find a definitive replacement for De la Rosa in due time.

However, with the DTM Series – where Paffett is to compete for another full season for Mercedes' works team – starting in late April, the first 4 rounds of the F1 season will not interfere with his racing programme in 2010. The Chinese Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on April 16 thru 18, one week before the DTM opening round at Hockenheim.

“Gary has been on the team since 2006 and we value his dedication and technical feedback. We need someone who's ready to step in if anything should happen to prevent Jenson or Lewis from taking part in a grand prix weekend. We know from working with Gary, and from watching his performances in other racing categories, that he's ready and able to take on this responsibility,” said the team's boss and CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

This won't be the first time Paffett will take on testing and reserve responsibilities with McLaren Mercedes, as the Brit has previously worked with the team in 2003 and 2008 (in between full DTM campaigns).