Sam Bird to drive for Mercedes in Young Driver test

Mercedes GP is pleased to confirm that Sam Bird will drive for the team at the Young Driver test days to be held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 November. British racer Sam, 23, drives for ART and will be competing in the final GP2 Series races in Abu Dhabi over the Formula One weekend.

Sam is currently in fifth place in the GP2 standings with one win and four podiums this season, including the feature race victory, sprint race podium and both fastest laps at the penultimate race in Monza.

Prior to GP2, Sam competed in the F3 EuroSeries with the Mercedes-Benz DTM partner team Mücke Motorsport and finished in third place at the 2009 Macau Grand Prix as the top Mercedes-powered finisher.

Team Principal Ross Brawn commented: "Sam has done an impressive job in the GP2 Series during his first season. He is the highest-placed rookie in the championship order with some excellent results over the year. We are very pleased that Sam will be joining MERCEDES GP PETRONAS for the Young Driver test next month and are confident that he will provide the team with the essential consistency and feedback we require. This is also an excellent chance for Sam to continue his progression in motorsport and widen his experience of Formula One. Sam has been chosen due to his relevant current single-seater pedigree through his competition in GP2, the F3 EuroSeries and British F3 and as an added bonus, he will have experience of the track from his GP2 racing over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. We look forward to working with Sam at the test and to seeing his progress and feedback over the two days."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said: "For the upcoming Young Driver test days in Abu Dhabi, it was important for us to find a young and talented driver with single-seater and preferably GP2 experience. Sam Bird, who competed in the F3 EuroSeries last year with our DTM partner team Mücke Motorsport before he progressed to the ART team in GP2, who are also partners with Mercedes-Benz in F3, fulfils these requirements. With the experience that Sam will gain during the GP2 races in Abu Dhabi, I am sure he will be well prepared for the test."

Sam Bird Profile:

Nationality: British
Date of Birth: 9 January 1987
Website: www.sambird.com
Management: www.cjmotorsport.co.uk

Career:
2010: GP2 Series, currently 5th with 1 win, 5 podiums, 1 pole & 5 fastest laps
2009: F3 EuroSeries, 8th & 3rd in Macau GP 2008: F3 EuroSeries, 11th 2007: British F3, 4th & Rookie of the Year
2006: Formula Renault, 3rd & Rookie of the Year
2005: Formula BMW, 2nd