Montagny confirmed as Toyota's third driver
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-10-19 09:06
SAO PAULO, Oct 18 - Frenchman Franck Montagny will be Toyota's official test
and reserve driver next season, the Formula One team said on Wednesday.
Montagny, 28, made his race debut for Honda-backed Super Aguri as a stand-in
for seven grands prix this season and was a test driver for champions Renault
before that.
He has already made a test debut for Toyota, trying out the TF106B car at
Silverstone last month.
"Franck is an experienced driver who knows the tracks and has a strong and
successful record of developing Formula One cars," said Toyota team principal
Tsutomu Tomita in a statement before Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand
Prix.
"His outing at Silverstone was a good opportunity to familiarise himself with
the team at a time when discussions were almost complete. He worked well within
the team and his performance confirmed we have made the right decision."
Toyota have Germany's Ralf Schumacher and Italian Jarno Trulli as race
drivers next year. Their current third driver, Brazilian Ricardo Zonta, has
joined Renault in the same role.
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