Dan Ticktum joins Williams as F1 development driver
Ticktum to combine role with debut F2 season in 2020
Tuesday 17 December 2019 10:44, UK
Williams have signed Dan Ticktum to their F1 driver academy, snapping up the two-time Macau Grand Prix winner after he was dropped by Red Bull.
Ticktum joins Williams as a development driver for 2020, when he will combine his debut Formula 2 season with F1 simulator work for the Grove team as well as "full driver integration" at two Grands Prix.
The new Williams role gives Ticktum, 20, renewed hope of an F1 drive in the future after he lost his junior position at Red Bull earlier this year following a disappointing spell in Super Formula in Japan.
"It is a privilege to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy, especially given Williams' incredible heritage in our sport," said Ticktum, who drove in two F1 tests this year with Red Bull, in Bahrain and Spain.
"The time in the simulator and experience working with the team will prove invaluable for my development. Being fully integrated into the operations will be a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to assisting wherever I can."
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Deputy team principal Claire Williams added: "I am delighted that Dan, another exciting young British talent, has joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy.
"His ability behind the wheel has been demonstrated with back-to-back successes at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 2017 and 2018. Dan's technical expertise will prove invaluable to the team and we are looking forward to helping him grow and develop in 2020."
Ticktum's talent as a junior racer has been obvious, with success in a number of categories - finishing second behind Mick Schumacher in the 2018 F3 European Championship - as well as those two victories at Macau, where he is still the youngest-ever winner.
But his career has also courted controversy: Ticktum was banned from racing for two years when he controversially crashed into competitors under Safety Car conditions in MSA Formula in 2015.
Red Bull backed him from a young age, and during that ban, but dropped the young Brit following five races in Super Formula over two seasons, where he picked up just one point.
