UPHALL-born driver Paul Di Resta has been retained by Williams as their reserve driver for the forthcoming Formula One campaign.
The 30-year-old Scot made his grand prix debut in 2011 for Force India and raced with them for three consecutive seasons, making 88 starts.
Di Resta will this year be back-up at Williams for Felipe Massa – following his short-lived retirement after Valtteri Bottas’ move to Mercedes – and Canadian 18-year-old rookie Lance Stroll.
“I am delighted to remain at Williams as reserve driver for the 2017 season,” said Di Resta, who has also worked as a motorsport pundit for Sky Sports.
“I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the controls and procedures of the FW40 and understanding the new regulations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Claire and everyone at Williams for their continued support in being part of the team.”
Deputy team principal Claire Williams added: “It’s great for us to retain someone with Paul’s experience in the team.
“His extensive Formula One knowledge will once again be invaluable, especially with new regulations in place for the 2017 season.
“Paul has been a great asset to the team over the past year and it is great that we will be able to continue working with him again in 2017.”
Meanwhile, executive director Toto Wolff and non-executive chairman Niki Lauda have both signed new long-term deals with Mercedes. Lauda, who began work with the Formula One team in 2012, and Wolff – who joined one year later – will stay with the champions until at least 2020.
Their time at the helm of Mercedes has coincided with the team’s unprecedented success in F1 over the past three years – winning consecutive world titles during that time.
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