Renault Names Oliver Rowland as Development Driver

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

The Renault Sport F1 Team has appointed Oliver Rowland as its latest development driver for the 2017 season.

Competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with DAMS this year, the team will push the 24-year-old through simulator programs with future dates setup on track.

“My aim has always been to get a role in Formula 1 so it’s great to see all my hard work pay off,” said Rowland via team release.

“The Renault Sport Academy was the perfect training ground and the role of Development Driver is another great step after being within the Renault family for so many years with Formula Renault 2.0 and 3.5 and then the Academy too.

“I learnt a lot last year including working at Enstone in the simulator, so I feel well prepared for this role. I’m proud to be part of the team and I’ll be working hard to do everything I can to assist the team in their development of the R.S.17.”

Cyril Abiteboul, managing director for Renault Sport Racing, added his praise for having Rowland on in the new role with the team.

“We know Oliver very well and we are very pleased to reward his work with this position with Renault Sport Formula One Team,” said Abiteboul.

“Development Driver is an important position in a team and it is very interesting to have someone who already knows us well.”

About Joey Barnes 600 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.