Red Bull will give Jake Dennis the chance to test its 2018 Formula 1 car at this week’s in-season test following the Spanish Grand Prix.

All 10 teams will remain at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two days of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday, one of two tests during the season. Confirming its driver line-up, Red Bull will have Max Verstappen in the car on the opening day – fresh from his third-place finish in Sunday’s race – with Dennis then taking over duties on Wednesday.

Dennis is a former Formula Renault 2.0 NEC champion who finished third in the FIA European Formula 3 championship in 2015 when driving for Prema. In 2016 he moved up to GP3 and finished fourth in the championship with two wins for Arden, while also taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category.

Having continued his sports car career alongside nine F3 appearances for Carlin last year, Dennis is now Red Bull’s Simulator Development Driver and the 22-year-old spends a lot of time at the team’s factory in Milton Keynes.

“Jake’s test with the RB14 will provide useful correlation for his work in the simulator,” Red Bull announced on its website. “Both drivers have busy programs during the test as the team seeks to further the development of the car.

“With unsettled weather heading to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Max and Jake’s schedules may be switched around to get the most out of the time available.”

The other in-season test takes place at the Hungaroring after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Of the four total test days, two must be carried out by a driver who has started no more than two grands prix, with Dennis fitting that bill for Red Bull.

-Chris Medland