Official: Daniel Ricciardo will race with HRT from Silverstone

The HRT team has confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo will officially make his Formula 1 debut behind the wheel of one of its cars at the British Grand Prix. The Red Bull protégé has so far served as Toro Rosso's third driver alongside his season in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and will now join the Spanish team on loan.

“It's a dream come true for me, being on a Formula 1 starting grid for the first time,” said Ricciardo. “I had to pinch myself a couple of times to make sure it was all real. I'm excited and can't wait to drive at Silverstone. It's a new challenge, a new experience, a new team, but I'm ready and will give my all in every Grand Prix."

Ricciardo will replace Narain Karthikeyan for the rest of the season, apart from the Indian GP, ​​and Red Bull will thus have the opportunity to evaluate the Australian's performances by comparing them to those of Vitantonio Liuzzi.

“This agreement is recognition for all of HRT's hard work since its debut in F1 last year,” said Jose Ramon Carabante, owner of the Spanish team. “We are proud that the world champion F1 team has trusted us to develop its drivers. We hope this is the start of a successful partnership."