Nakajima announced as 2008 race driver for Williams

The ATT Williams team confirmed today that their driver line up for the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship would be Nico Rosberg partnered by Kazuki Nakajima. After two seasons of racing for ATT Williams, Rosberg is an established and highly regarded talent and he will form the mainstay of the team’s continued drive towards the front of the field. He is joined by Kazuki Nakajima, the 22-year old from Aichi in Japan, who for the past year has been the team’s official test and reserve driver.

Kazuki, the GP2 Series Rookie of the Year, has been a member of the Toyota Driver’s Programme since 2003 when he claimed the Formula Toyota Championship. More recently, Kazuki has contested the All Japan Formula 3 Championship and the Formula 3 Euroseries.

Over the course of the 2007 season, Kazuki has covered over 7,000km for the ATT Williams team as a test driver, as well as representing the team at Grands Prix as a driver in the Friday practice sessions. He closed the season with a capable Formula One debut, racing for the team at the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

In confirming the team’s 2008 race line-up, Frank Williams, the ATT Williams Team Principal said, “I am delighted to confirm that Nico will be racing for the team for his third consecutive year after demonstrating impressive and widely applauded form in 2007. Nico will be ably partnered by Kazuki, who has impressed the team over the past year. He has pace and the right aptitude to develop into a competitive Formula One racer and over the course of the next season, we will provide him with all the necessary support and assistance to hone his talents.”

For his part, Kazuki Nakajima said on the news of his appointment, “This is the crowning of a great year for me. It was an amazing experience to drive out of the garage as a Formula One driver at Albert Park last March, and now to be confirmed as a race driver for ATT Williams is a dream come true. I am very grateful to Toyota for the support I have had through the Toyota Driver’s Programme and to Williams for the team’s faith in me. There is plenty of work to be done before next season starts, but I am resolved to do whatever is necessary and to show Williams and Toyota that they have made a good investment.”