Rising Indian star Armaan Ebrahim will join David Price Racing for the inaugural
GP2 Asia Series, having inked a deal with the British team in time for pre-season testing.
The 18-year old finished as runner-up in last season's Formula Renault V6 Asia series, and has driven Team India's
A1GP entry, but rates his decision to join DPR as the biggest of his short career.
“I'm very excited to be making my
GP2 debut and can't wait to sample the power and handling of the car," he said, "I've driven an
A1GP car which has 500 bhp, but this is another step up, with an extra 100 horsepower, so it'll be the fastest car I'll have ever driven."
The Chennai native will make his
GP2 debut with the team during the first pre-season test in Dubai, with the first of the five race weekends taking place at Dubai Autodrome on 25 January, and is among the first Asian drivers confirmed for the championship, despite
GP2's original aim of each competing team fielding at least one pilot from the region - a rule it has since relaxed.
“This new series gives me a real opportunity to showcase my talents in front of some very influential motorsport people and I hope that it will bring me to the attention of the F1 paddock and perhaps open some doors for my future," Ebrahim continued, "The Indian racing scene is becoming very high profile with the recent announcements of track development in Delhi and plans for an F1 event in the country. It's my dream to be racing there when it happens, so my participation in the
GP2 Asia Series is a logical move towards this goal.
“For the immediate future, I'm aiming to use the two pre-season tests to get to grips with the car and working with the DPR team, so that I'm ready for the first race in Dubai. I'll be racing against some of the drivers who have much more experience of the car, having already competed in the
GP2 Series this season, so I'm expecting it to be quite a tough challenge, but I'm definitely prepared for this and ready to do my best.”
Team principal David Price expects to announce the identity of his second Asian series driver shortly but, for now, is happy to have signed Ebrahim.
“I'm pleased that we've secured the services of Armaan for this new
GP2 Series," he admitted, "He represents the young talent that exists outside of Europe and is an
ambassador for the emerging Asian nations as racing becomes more popular and widespread. We look forward to welcoming him into the team and working with him in the coming season.”
