Jaguar signs Burti as test driver

'It's very special for me to become the official test driver for Jaguar Racing,' said the 24-year-old Brazilian, who was runner-up in the British Formula 3 championship this year with Stewart Racing.

'It has always been my ambition to enter Formula One and this is a significant step along that path. This role is the perfect schooling for my development as a Formula One driver.

'I see this as an opportunity to prove that I have the ability to one day join the ranks of the famous Brazilian drivers who have already graced Formula One. I feel privileged to be associated with a marque with such a proud heritage as Jaguar's.'

Burti, who was test driver at Stewart-Ford last year, is highly rated by chairman and ceo of Jaguar Racing, Jackie Stewart.

'He [Burti] was the first driver to run in the SF-3, the 1999 Stewart-Ford Formula One car, and has subsequently done a lot of testing for the Stewart-Ford team in 1999 and has provided excellent feedback for the test and race engineers,' commented Stewart.