The Lotus team has signed 16-year-old Nabil Jeffri for its young driver development program. The Malaysian driver will be carrying out aero testing for the team in early September at an undisclosed location in the UK.
Jeffri, 16, is currently fifth in the Formula BMW Pacific championship.
"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to drive for Lotus Racing in the aero test," he said. "It's a big privilege to gain driving experience with the most promising new F1 team.
"Driving the Lotus Racing car will definitely be a priceless exposure to the F1 driving experience, and I'm looking forward to many more similar opportunities to arise as a result of being part of the AirAsia Driver Development program."
Lotus boss Tony Fernandes added: "It's an exciting day for all of us in the Lotus Racing team – being able to give bright young talent like Nabil the chance to play an integral role in the development of our team is a recognition of his burgeoning talent, and shows that there is a clear route to the top rung of the motorsport ladder, no matter how old you are or where you are racing.
"I'm sure that before he gets in the hot seat he'll be speaking to Fairuz Fauzy for some advice – Fairuz is another Malaysian sports star who, as our third driver, is showing at tracks around the world that you can reach the top if you work hard to achieve your dreams – together, they serve as inspirations to everyone in our team, and to young talent all over the world."