Rowland becomes Renault F1 development driver

Formula 2 racer Oliver Rowland has been hired as an official development driver for the Renault Formula 1 team.

Rowland, who will race for the DAMS squad in what was previously the GP2 Series this season, was earlier a simulator driver for the French manufacturer.

The 24-year-old's precise programme has not yet been finalised.

“In terms of car time it’s not exactly defined in terms of what I’ll do,” he told Motorsport.com.

“But hopefully I’ll manage to get either some rookie days or a Pirelli test or something like that.

“I suppose a little bit of that will depend on my performance in F2. My goals are focused on the F2 championship and I know that if I do a good job, then hopefully I’ll be rewarded in some way within F1.”

Rowland won the Formula Renault 3.5 championship in 2015 and also worked as an unofficial simulator driver for the Mercedes F1 team that year.

If he performs well in F2 this season, which gets underway in Bahrain this weekend, Rowland, who finished ninth in his first full season in GP2 last year, is optimistic about his chances of securing a greater F1 role in 2018.

Previous DAMS drivers Romain Grosjean and Jolyon Palmer both went on to race in F1 after winning the GP2 title with the French squad, although 2012 champion Davide Valsecchi did not get to move up.

“I’d like to think that if I’ve won World Series [FR3.5] and F2, if I were to do that, then hopefully I’ll be given a bigger role within F1 next year,” Rowland said.

Rowland out to do something special with DAMS

After spending 2016 with the MP Motorsport squad, Rowland has switched to DAMS and will line up alongside Nicholas Latifi.

The last two GP2 champions – Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly – have not immediately graduated to F1 and Rowland believes that if he does win the championship, he will therefore need to do so in eye-catching style.

He said: “In order to get into F1 you have to do something special. If you can win in dominant style then I think it adds a bit more clout when you’re looking for an F1 seat in 2018.”

Rowland led the 2016 GP2 standings after five rounds before dropping down the order in the second half of the season, but says DAMS has already helped him adjust how he prepares for races.

He said: “I’ve got full support from Jean-Paul Driot and Francois Sicard, and they’re really helping me change my approach a little bit to do with how I address race weekends.

“I go to the factory before each test and each race, and I didn’t do any simulator stuff for GP2 last year and we do a lot of that within the team.”