Williams sign Le Mans winner to support Sainz and Albon

Williams has signed the highly experienced Oliver Turvey as its new test and development driver.

The F1 team has confirmed that Turvey will "play a pivotal part in advancing Williams' development programmes and simulator operations to support our race drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz - one of the most formidable line-ups in Formula 1'.

Specifically, Turvey will develop Williams' state-of-the-art new driver-in-loop simulator which is due to become operational later this year.

The 37-year-old has enjoyed a varied motorsport career in which he won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 in the LMP2 category before going on to compete in Formula E, Super GT.

Turvey has also spent the last 15 years as test and development driver with McLaren.

Expressing his delight in joining Williams, Turvey added:  "It’s an honour to have the opportunity to join such a historic and successful team.

"I have long admired Williams, and watching Damon Hill win the world championship for them is a moment that inspired me as I began my racing career in karting.

"The ambition and determination driving this project are incredibly inspiring, and I’m excited for the challenge ahead to help bring the team back to the top.

"It is a privilege to work alongside Alex and Carlos, who I consider two of the best drivers in F1.

"I look forward to using my experience as both a driver and engineer to work closely with the team at Grove to enhance the car’s performance in the simulator and support the race team.

"I would like to thank James [Vowles, team principal], Sven [Smeets, sporting director], and the board for putting their trust in me. I will give everything I have to help the team achieve success."