Klien to test HRT on race weekends

Christian Klien has signed as test and reserve driver for HRT, and will make his debut in the car in place of one of the regular drivers at Barcelona in Friday morning practice.

The 27-year-old last raced for Red Bull in 2006, and had since had spells as test driver for Honda and BMW Sauber. He has also tested for Spyker. HRT has already announced Sakon Yamamoto as an extra driver.

Team boss Colin Kolles said in a statement: “We are very proud to welcome Christian Klien to HRT F1 Team. He is a young and fast driver. I have been keeping a close eye on him since his first races in the ADAC series as I believe he has great potential. We look forward to having Christian alongside us in Barcelona later this week so he can spend some valuable familiarisation time with the team. As a young team we are looking for drivers who can grow with us.”

Meanwhile Klien, who also has Peugeot sportscar commitments, added: “I am thrilled to be joining HRT F1 Team. This role offers me the opportunity to rejoin the Formula One environment and drive again, which is naturally where my longer-term ambitions lie. I was in Bahrain and China and had a close look at the car already.

“I have also met the team members and I know quite a number of them from my previous race seasons. I would like to thank Dr. Colin Kolles for the interest he has shown in me at this stage. It is exciting and very motivating to be part of a new team structure in such a challenging sport. At only 27 years with six seasons of F1 under my belt I am sure I can bring a lot of experience and enthusiasm into HRT F1 Team.”

It’s an interesting opportunity for Klien, but it remains to be seen how much the regular drivers suffer when they have to give up their places, albeit only for the opening session of the weekend.