Williams Signs Valtteri Bottas as New Reserve Driver in 2010

Although several drivers were linked with Williams F1's reserve/test driver role for the 2010 Formula One season, the job eventually went to the only one not included by the media in the rumor mill. We're talking about Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, whose only worth-mentioning reference to the racing fans is his programme in the Formula 3 Euro Series.

In his rookie season in the aforementioned championship, Bottas took his ART Grand Prix prepared single-seater to 3rd place in the overall classification, earning him a one-year extension with the French team for 2010 as well. According to several voices within the series, the 20-year old driver is regarded as the top favorite for this year's action.

In the meantime however, the Finn will take over the reserve/test driver responsibilities from Nico Hulkenberg within the Williams F1 organization, as confirmed by the very team owner Frank Williams via a media statement.

“Valtteri's CV is very impressive, with a long list of success in the right junior formulae. We hope that the role of official test driver in our squad will provide him with another step in his development. We wish him all the best in the Formula 3 Euro Series this season,” said Williams.

“I am very honoured to have been selected by a team as prestigious as AT&T Williams, one of the most significant names in the sport. This is an important step in my career but now the real work starts to get to the top. I am sure I will learn a lot with the team and I trust that together we will achieve great results for the years to come,” added Williams' new test driver.

Until today, GP2 racer Andy Soucek was also in contention for that spot, but it seems the Austrian driver is now seeking a racing spot with Renault F1 (where he faces tough competition from Russian driver Vitaly Petrov).