Former Williams driver Alex Wurz has joined Honda as its test and reserve driver for the 2008 season, the Brackley squad announced on Thursday.
The 33-year-old Austrian appeared to call time on his F1 career when he left his Williams race role following the penultimate round of last season, although he admitted he was looking to continue his involvement in the sport in some capacity.
And that next move has unexpectedly come in the shape of a third driver role at Honda, a position he knows well having spent six years in the role at McLaren and Williams.
Wurz says he is looking forward to the challenge of helping the Brackley squad, under new team boss Ross Brawn, climb back up the grid.
“I am delighted to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team at the beginning of what I hope can be a very exciting period for the team,” he said.
“Honda has such a rich history of success in motorsport and it is a real honour to be part of a team that has racing right at the core of its operation.
“his is an excellent opportunity to play an important role in the development of the team going forward.
“My three previous teams have all been world championship winners and I hope to be able to contribute to Honda’s ambitions.
“The chance to work with one of the best brains in F1 in Ross Brawn is very exciting, as is the level of resources that the Honda team has at its disposal.”
He will complete his first test in last year’s Honda RA107 on January 22 at Valencia and says he is looking forward to working alongside the team’s race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello in the forthcoming season.
“I am also looking forward to working with Jenson and Rubens, two drivers who I know very well, and I’m sure we will form a very successful partnership over the coming weeks,” he said.
“For now, my immediate focus is on getting back in a Formula 1 car in Valencia and starting work with the team.”
Brawn says he is delighted to have secured the services of Wurz to further strengthen an already experienced driver line-up.
“We are delighted to welcome Alex to the Honda Racing F1 Team and very pleased to have secured one of the most experienced development drivers in Formula 1 to support our race driver pairing of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello,” he said.
“Alex has 11 years of top level experience in the sport and this depth and breadth of knowledge will prove invaluable to us as we aim to make Honda a competitive force in 2008.
“Alex will spend his first Honda test familiarising himself with our team and the RA107 before moving on to play a crucial role in the track development of the new RA108 car. We are looking forward to working closely with him over the coming months.”

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