Ricciardo and Hartley Confirmed as Test Drivers for Red Bull

Red Bull Racing was the very first team to confirm their race drivers for the 2010 season of Formula One – somewhere in the middle of their 2009 campaign – and they again showed some decent reaction when it came to announcing their test drivers.

According to the latest media statement coming from Red Bull Racing, Daniel Ricciardo and Brendon Hartley will share test/reserve responsibilities throughout the 2010 season of Formula One for the Milton Keynes based team. Since both have commitments outside the series – in the World Series by Renault – their role within the team will be evaluated “on a race by race basis.”

“It's very exciting. It was an email I was hoping for since the test in December, but I wasn't sure whether it would come at all. It's all exciting and I'll be busy, even though I'm not driving,” said 20-year old Ricciardo on Tuesday morning, when the announcement was finally made official by Red Bull.

Ricciardo won the British Formula 3 last season and was consequently gifted the chance to test Red Bull's RB5 during the Jerez rookie testing session last December. He impressed all the Red Bull mechanics at the time, as he set the fastest lap from all rookie testers.

Hartley, on the other hand, was previously test and reserve driver for the Milton Keynes based team in the early stages of the 2009 season, soon after the FIA issued him the much-needed superlicense. However, his role within the team ended shortly, as he preferred to focus on his F3 and Renault World Series commitments and leave Spanish teenager Jaime Alguersuari take over at Red Bull.

Referring to the New Zealander, Red Bull's media statement said that “he displayed good pace and offered useful feedback.”