Mike Conway has said that he has no concerns about not having run with his new team prior to the introduction of the 2008-spec GP2 car, believing that Trident Racing is one of the leading teams in the category.

The Briton signed with the Italian outfit late last week, despite Trident not having been among the teams he ran with in post-season testing. Conway, however, insists that Alessandro Alunni Bravi's operation rates highly amongst its peers and he has no qualms about signing blind for what will be his second season in the F1 feeder series.

"We kept all our options open at the end of last season, testing with a few teams to evaluate the opportunities," the 2006 British F3 champion explained, "I didn't test with Trident, but obviously I know their capabilities and how good their package is, and I know they want to win are always pushing hard to achieve that.

"I expect to build a good relationship, bond quickly and get on the pace with the new car. We'll have to push to get on top of the car as quickly as possible, so we can be winning races straight away."

Despite arriving in GP2 fresh from clinching the F3 crown and with a strong reputation behind him, Conway discovered that success would not come easily, even though he was running with the crack Super Nova team.

"It is quite difficult as a rookie in GP2," he admitted, after taking a single podium amid an otherwise disappointing campaign, "The car isn't easy to drive, you don't know the tracks and need to learn while staying focused. There's not much track time so it's not easy, although it's easier at tracks that you know, like Silverstone, where my results were better. I'll still have a couple of tracks without any prior experience [in 2008], as the street race in Valencia will be new to everyone, and Hockenheim will be new to me."

I think Nico Rosberg was the first of the younger generation to grab an F1 seat, then he was followed by Lewis [Hamilton], and there's also [Sebastian] Vettel in there now as well. So there's a move for younger drivers to reach F1, and GP2 is recognised as one of the prime series to draw from. It's great to see British talent coming through too."

Conway's deal was struck with help from managers Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle, and he remains grateful for their ongoing support.

"Mark and Martin have a wealth of experience, both on and off the track," he concluded, "They've been around for many years, so they understand the way that motorsport works and are at every F1 race, so are on hand to give advice and support me at my race weekends. They are always on the end of a phone for me and we talk daily to keep abreast of plans and activities, and they have been very valuable to me in concluding agreements, such as this one with Trident."