Williamson returns to racing with Strakka in Renault series

Lewis Williamson will return to full-time racing in '16 with Strakka in the Renault Sport RS01 Championship. The 26-year-old last competed regularly in the GP3 Series in 2013.

Williamson has been working with Strakka in recent years and tested its LMP2 car last winter. He will now pair up with team founder Nick Leventis as the World Endurance Championship and Formula V8 3.5 team expands into Renault's one-make sportscar category.

"I've grown closer to Strakka Racing in the past two years, the team providing me with opportunities to coach its Strakka Performance drivers or test its cars, culminating with the WEC rookie event last November," said Williamson. "For me the RS01 is the perfect steppingstone to progress into sportscars, which is where I want to be.

"This is a fantastic chance to get my career kickstarted and I really appreciate the chances that drivers in the Strakka family receive."

Team principal Dan Walmsley said Strakka's move into the RS01 series would help it provide further sportscars opportunities for young drivers.

"We are seeing more and more young drivers disillusioned with the single-seater ladder and asking about drives in sportscar racing," he said. "They see a chance for a real career in sportscars.

"This affordable series is a great platform to give young drivers more experience and is a perfect fit between our WEC and single-seater efforts."

Williamson was a race-winner in GP3 after winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award and earned Red Bull backing. But his career was interrupted when he was dropped from the Formula 1 team's young driver program in favor of Antonio Felix da Costa midway through a Formula Renault 3.5 campaign in 2012.

Originally on Autosport.com