Oliver Rowland will conduct test and simulator duties for Williams in Formula 1 this season, alongside his WEC LMP1 programme with Manor.
Rowland finished third in last year’s Formula 2 championship but was unable to secure a seat on the Formula 1 grid, as Williams retained Lance Stroll and recruited Sergey Sirotkin.
Rowland, who was part of Renault’s young driver programme, is set to receive his first taste of current-spec Formula 1 machinery during in-season testing, and revelled in his new role.
“I am immensely proud to be joining Williams as their official young driver,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me and I will be working as hard as I possibly can to help them develop the car this season.
“Williams is a British team with a fantastic heritage and history which has made it one of the most respected teams in the sport.
“It’s always been my ambition to get a role in Formula 1 and I’m very excited to be doing that with Williams.
“They have always given young drivers the opportunity to progress so it’s now up to me to make a good impression and further my development as a driver.
“Hopefully with my hard work in the simulator and test I can impress the team.
“It’s certainly going to be an exciting challenge ahead and I want to help Williams as the team continues to work to close the gap to the front of the grid in 2018."
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