FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Wurz is Williams driver mentor

The experienced former Williams F1 driver Alex Wurz is to act as a driver mentor to Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna in 2012.

The experienced former Williams F1 driver Alex Wurz is to act as a driver mentor to Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna in 2012.

Wurz's testing ability and technical feedback were always highly respected by both Williams and McLaren and the move comes at a time when Williams is fielding a driver line-up with just one full season's shared F1 experience.

Wurz, who has 11 F1 seasons of experience, stars his duties at this week's Barcelona test, which begins tomorrow, and he will accompany the team to races this season. The Austrian's appointment complements the team's recent engagement of athlete Michael Johnson's company to improve pit stop performance.

"This is a great initiative by Williams and highlights just how hard the team is pushing to optimise its performance. My career as a sportsman, which started at the age of 12 in BMX racing, includes over a decade in Formula One and is still ongoing (racing in the World Endurance Championship).

"I am lucky to have gained so much experience. I grew up in a family business of driver training and naturally I enjoy helping fellow athletes to operate at their best. I'm really looking forward to using my expertise to help Williams at this important stage in its history."

Williams engineering chief Mark Gillan added: "I'm delighted to be working once more with Alex and look forward to his valuable input with the drivers as the whole team strives to continuously improve in all aspects of its operation."