Ferrucci to continue as Haas F1 development driver

Santino Ferrucci will continue as a Haas F1 Team development driver in 2017 while simultaneously competing in his second full-time season in the GP3 Series with DAMS.

The 18-year-old Connecticut native will attend F1 races and tests throughout the year while also participating in the team's simulator program.

"We're very happy to have Santino back with us and look forward to his continuing development in GP3," said Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner. "We liked what we saw of him last year, and his maturity inside and outside of the car is impressive. Santino is a young, American driver with plenty of potential who is learning a lot with DAMS and us."

The American first joined Haas F1 last year and participated in a two-day test with the team in July at Silverstone. By piloting the Haas VF-16, Ferrucci became the first American driver to wheel an American Formula 1 car since October 9, 1977 when Danny Ongais drove a Penske PC4 in the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport.

"My goal since I first started racing is to become a Formula 1 driver, and to be an American who is part of an American team is something I take a tremendous amount of pride in," Ferrucci said. "I learned a lot last year in GP3 with DAMS and with Haas F1 Team. The combination of the two allowed me to learn more and at a faster rate. I feel so much more prepared this year. I'm really looking forward to getting started."

The 2017 GP3 Series season opens this weekend in Barcelona as part of the support bill for the Spanish Grand Prix.