China's Tung Debuts with Williams at Jerez

Ho-Pin Tung made history today when he became China's first Formula One driver as he tested for the Williams team as a reward for winning the Formula BMW Asia championship this year.

21-year old Tung, from Wenzhou - 500km South of Shanghai - put in an impressive performance in the series, winning 10 of the 14 races on his way to the title. As a reward, he took to the wheel of a 2002-spec Williams FW24 today, completing 42 laps of the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.

"After driving a 140bhp Formula BMW car last season, stepping into a 900bhp Formula One car was terrifying as well as the fulfillment of a lifetime's ambition in equal measure," said Tung at the end of his test.

"It is of course a matter of some pride to also be the first Chinese driver to get behind the wheel of such a prestigious Formula One Car."

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, who was supervising Tung's test, said he was impressed with the Chinese driver's approach.

"We have been keeping our eyes on Ho-Pin for some time now, and his twelve pole positions and ten wins from 14 starts this year promises much," he said. "I am glad to say he handled his first Formula One test in a very mature fashion. His approach and his improvements over the course of the day did prove he has serious potential as a racing driver."

Tung's test has taken on additional significance as China will host its first ever Formula One Grand Prix next year.