F1 hopefuls Daniel Ricciardo and Dean Stoneman will link-up as team-mates at Formula Renault 3.5 squad ISR this season.
Both men contsedted last November’s F1 young driver test following the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Ricciardo turning out for world champions Red Bull and Stoneman for the Williams team.
Australian-born Ricciardo set the fastest time on both days of running and was subsequently confirmed as Toro Rosso’s third driver for the 2011 season. He will contest free practice one for the team at all of this season’s Grand Prix. Ricciardo raced in FR 3.5 last season, narrowly missing out on the title to Russian Mikhail Aleshin, but remains in the category due to Red Bull’s refusal to place their young drivers in F1 support category GP2.
Stoneman meanwhile took an impressive Formula 2 title win in 2010, his first year of international competition. The Brit tested for Williams in Abu Dhabi as a prize for his success and left the team impressed with his feedback and pace. Dean spoke to Badger shortly before jetting off to Abu Dhabi – read more on that here.
