Lucas Auer and Nikita Mazepin will test for Force India in Hungary

The private tests that will take place before the summer break at the Hungarian Hungaroring circuit are reserved for drivers who have not competed in more than two Grand Prix in their careers, which is why the Force India team had to find two drivers to take the wheel of the VJM10.

The structure based in Silverstone has decided to turn to Austrian DTM driver Lucas Auer, who shares the same sponsor, BWT, with Force India, which gave its pink colors to the team’s car this season. This will be the first time the 23-year-old driver will be in a Formula 1 car. The nephew of Gerhard Berger has been a driver in the German touring car championship for three seasons with the Mercedes teams. He won his first race in his second season and currently holds second place in the championship with two wins and a podium. Prior to this, he was a single-seater driver in the European F3 championship for two full seasons, finishing fourth in the championship twice.

« This is really exciting news, the most beautiful moment of my life. For me, it’s a childhood dream come true to drive an F1 car for the first time. I am particularly proud that this is happening with Sahara Force India, a top-level Formula 1 team. » said Auer after hearing the news.

He will be joined in these two days of in-season testing by the young 18-year-old European F3 driver, Nikita Mazepin, who had already taken part in last year’s private tests after the British Grand Prix. The young Russian does not have a very impressive track record in karting and promotional formulas, currently holding the fourteenth place in the F3 championship after finishing twentieth last year.

The owner and creator of the team, Vijay Mallya, stated on this matter: « We are happy to have two young talented drivers for the tests in Budapest. »

Before saying a word about each of the drivers: « We already know Nikita well, and giving him track time in the VJM10 is the next step in his development program with us. I am delighted to welcome Lucas to the team and will closely monitor his progress. It’s always a special moment when a driver arrives and experiences their first time in an F1 car, and I’m glad Lucas can make his debut in one of our cars. »

The two drivers will be on board the pink single-seaters, one each day, on August 1st and 2nd.

Budapest test: @NMazepin and @LucasAuer1 will share driving duties in the two-day session at the Hungaroring: https://t.co/V7knbC04HG pic.twitter.com/yEOZM0hdkJ

— Sahara Force India (@ForceIndiaF1) 18 juillet 2017