Brazilian racer Felipe Nasr will continue for a second season with race winning team Carlin in the 2014 GP2 Series. Nasr’s strong showing in 2013 helped Carlin secure second position in the Team’s Championship. Nasr, who was recently announced as the Williams Formula One team’s Reserve and Test Driver, will be in action with Carlin next week during the first official GP2 Series test in Abu Dhabi.
The 2013 season was Nasr’s second year in the highly competitive GP2 Series and after two fantastic opening weekends Nasr was the man to beat. Over the course of the season Nasr took a total of six podiums on his way to fourth overall in the championship. The 21 year old’s consistency also contributed to Carlin finishing the year as runner up in the Team Championship, on equal points to Russian Time.
The 2014 season looks set to be a busy year for Nasr as he runs his GP2 campaign alongside an exciting new role with the Williams Formula One team. Nasr, who has officially been announced as the reserve and test driver for the British team, will participate in five free practice sessions over the course of the FIA Formula One season. The Brazilian racer has already tested the Williams car in Bahrain setting the fourth fastest time of the day’s running after a total of 87 laps.
Nasr said of the upcoming season, ‘I’m really happy to be with Carlin this year, we had a tough fight on our hands last year and although we missed out on the championship through some bad luck and some difficult races, I think overall the season was very positive for us. We work very well together and it’s a very easy relationship. This year I want to go one better and push hard to win the championship; with a strong team like Carlin, and the new rules in regards to the tyres I think we can do this.
‘It’s also going to be a great year for me to be involved with the Williams Formula One team and learn from them. I’ll be attending every race this season with a strong attitude so can’t wait for everything to start.’
Trevor Carlin added, ‘Everyone at Carlin loves working with Felipe – he is a passionate driver, always works hard with his engineer and is a fighter when he races but most of all he’s a pleasure to work with. He had an unlucky second half to his year in 2013 but I think he will be one to watch this season. We’ll also be excited to see him in the free practice sessions with Williams F1.’