BAR to Test Young Drivers at Jerez

The BAR-Honda team will test young drivers Adam Carroll, James Rossiter and Alan van der Merwe as part of their Young Driver Programme, which the Formula One squad have put into place since the end of the 2004 season.

Young drivers from various formulae have been put through their paces by the team in the hope of gaining the opportunity to test for BAR at this week's test at the Jerez circuit in Spain.

The three successful drivers from the initial selection process were Carroll, British Formula Three runner-up in 2004, Rossiter, who finished in third place in the same championship, and 2003 champion van der Merwe.

All three have spent the last two weeks working closely with Senior Race Engineer Jock Clear to prepare them for the Jerez test.

"The Young Driver initiative which we are putting into place at BAR is the result of a considerable period of careful planning and research," said Clear. "We have been working with the best in the business in terms of sports psychology, fitness and motivation, added to which is the input from BAR's engineering experts.

"The investment from the team has been substantial and so far we are pleased with the results seen and the commitment of all the drivers who have participated."

The three drivers will each have two half-day sessions in the car in the Jerez test, which will be kicked off tomorrow. The team said they will be looking for the driver who has the most potential to develop over the next 24 months.