Buemi, Felix da Costa named Red Bull reserves

Milton Keynes (England): Red Bull Racing Friday announced that Sebastien Buemi and Antonio Felix da Costa will make up the team’s test and reserve driver line-up for the 2014 Formula 1 season.

For Buemi, 2014 will represent a third consecutive year in the role of test and reserve driver at the team. The Swiss racer first filled the role in 2008 before graduating to an F1 race seat with Toro Rosso in 2009. In his 55 grands prix with Red Bull`s sister team he scored 29 championship points and completed over 13,000km across more than 2,600 laps. Since returning to Red Bull in 2012, he has mixed team duties with sportscar racing, making his Le Mans 24-Hours debut in the same year. In 2013, an expanded World Endurance Championship programme saw him and his team-mates take victory at the final round in Bahrain and score three other podium finishes, including second place at Le Mans. Felix da Costa, meanwhile, already has experience of a reserve role at the team, having substituted for Buemi at a few races during the 2013 season. The Portuguese racer also has extensive experience of team`s F1 machinery having tested for the Milton Keynes outfit at the 2013 Young Drivers’ Test in Silverstone, the 2012 Young Drivers’ Test in Abu Dhabi and having conducted a number of show car runs for the team during the past year. In 2013, Felix da Costa raced in the Renault 3.5 series, taking three wins on his way to third place in the championship. He also backed up his 2012 Macau Grand Prix victory with second place in this year’s edition of the prestigious F3 race. Confirming the team’s test driver line-up, team principal Christian Horner said: “It’s great to be able to announce the signing of Sebastien and Antonio for 2014. Next year sees the biggest change to the Formula One regulations for some time and the return of multiple in-season tests. To therefore be able to call on two such capable drivers is of huge benefit to the team."