The Young Drivers Test began in Abu Dhabi yesterday, where six teams are testing their cars with drivers currently not competing in F1. Here are the six drivers, who raced in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and who used the test as a stepping stone to F1...
1: Pastor Maldonado
The only driver at present to have taken part in the Young Drivers Test and gone on to win a race. The Venezuelan drove for Williams in 2010 and graduated to a race seat for 2011 and won the Spanish Grand Prix in May with the team.
2: Sergio Perez
Twenty-four months ago the Mexican was putting in the laps for Sauber at Yas Marina Circuit in the test. Two years on he is now preparing to challenge for race victories with McLaren-Mercedes to complete a rapid rise to the top.
3: Paul di Resta
Appearances can be deceptive. The Briton was only eighth in the 2010 test, but his work behind the wheel for Force India persuaded them to move him up from reserve driver to race driver for 2011.
4: Daniel Ricciardo
The Australian said he had felt under a lot of pressure when he drove the Red Bull Racing car at Yas Marina in 2010. Expected to be quickest in the fastest car in F1 that year he duly obliged, and he drove for HRT in 2011 before moving to Toro Rosso this season.
5: Jean-Eric Vergne
The same story as Ricciardo in that going fastest in the Red Bull in 2011 opened doors for him and he was given the opportunity to race for Toro Rosso in 2012 to show what he could do in race conditions.
6: Charles Pic
The quietly spoken Frenchman drove for Marussia at last year's test, and he did enough for the team to ditch Jerome D'Ambrosio and give him a Formula One seat this year.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
