HRT confirms Silverstone test for Qing Hua

HRT has announced that it will be carrying out its young driver test this week at Silverstone, and will be running 24 year-old Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua on Thursday July 12 and Friday July 13.

Although the young driver test was originally intended to be for all F1 teams to participate in, only HRT, Marussia and Williams have actually confirmed their plans to take part.

"The fact that these tests will finally be able to take place at Silverstone is great news for us because it fits perfectly with the next step that we had planned for Ma Qing Hua's development programme," said HRT team principal Luis P?rez-Sala.

Qing Hua has previously competed in Formula Renault, A1 Grand Prix, Formula 3 and Superleague Formula championships. He joined HRT's F1 driver development program earlier this year in April.

"I'm very happy that the day has finally come and I will be able to step into a F1 car for the first time with HRT F1 Team," the driver himself said. "The last few months have been intense as I have been doing a lot of tests on the track and off it, which have helped me to improve as a driver and take on this challenge from a better position. I've worked hard to make it here but this journey is only getting underway."

P?rez-Sala said that the team had been impressed by Qing Hua's capabilities since he joined them.

"In the last three months, we've been working with Ma on different aspects: testing on track with cars from different categories, carrying out tests on the simulator and working on specific physical preparation to be better prepared for this demanding challenge," he said.

"We were aware of his ability but, once more, he has shown his professionalism, attitude and sensitivity, so we're sure that he will continue to progress as a driver in these F1 tests," P?rez-Sala added.