With Felipe Massa making his return to Formula One to partner rookie racer, Lance Stroll, the WilliamsF1 team has now confirmed that Paul di Resta will be remaining with the Grove based squad as their official reserve driver for the upcoming 2017 Formula One World Championship.
“I am delighted to remain at Williams as Reserve Driver for the 2017 season,” he said. “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.”
Paul made his Formula One debut in 2009 as a test driver with the Force India Formula One Team, after winning the European Formula 3 Championship in 2006. He went on to secure the DTM title in 2010 before making his Formula One debut in 2011 with Force India where he spent three seasons with the team, scoring a total of 121 points.
Paul became Reserve Driver for Williams in 2016, and for the 2017 season he will once again spend extensive time with the team at races to ensure he is fully accustomed to the controls and procedures of the Williams Mercedes FW40, should he be required to step into the cockpit during the season.
“It’s great for us to retain someone with Paul’s experience in the team,” Deputy Team Principal, Claire Williams said. “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.”
