On Monday, Formula 1 backmarkers HRT signed 23-year-old Dani Clos as their reserve and test driver for the coming season.
Clos drove for HRT at the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi at the tail end of last year, having previously tested for Williams in 2008.
The Spaniard, who spent three years in GP2 with a best championship finish of 4th (2010), suffered something of horror season in 2011, as he struggled to find consistency.
Clos is set to take part in several Friday morning practice sessions; however HRT are under pressure to produce a 2012-spec machine.
The team’s new F1-12 reportedly failed two crash tests recently, incurring a battle against time to have the machine ready for the final test in Barcelona next month.
The former-GP2 racer will be third in the HRT team to Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan, although this could still change depending on how quickly Clos produces “the goods”, as it were.
Should the Spaniard find himself occupied during Grand Prix weekends throughout the 2012 season, it is possible that he may return to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series to keep himself race fit.
