Force India confirms Wehrlein for Barcelona

The 20-year-old German, a DTM race winner with Mercedes last year, will drive Force India's 2014 car, the VJM07, on Thursday and Saturday.

Race drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg will drive on Friday and Sunday respectively.

Wehrlein, who will also drive for Force India twice during in-season testing, will focus primarily on evaluation of the 2015 Pirelli tyres.

"As a young driver, any time you can spend in the car is extremely important and you can learn a lot," he said. "I know the simulator already, but I don't have much experience on the track.

"My first goal in Spain will be to do a great job together with the team, to learn as much as possible and to give good feedback to the engineers.

"Everybody knows that lap times only play a secondary role when you're testing. But of course I want to be as competitive as possible."

Force India boss Vijay Mallya added: "I'm pleased to give Pascal a chance to work with us in Barcelona. He's an exciting young talent who has already proved he has what it takes to be successful at the highest level in motorsport.

"As a reserve driver for Mercedes-Benz, he's clearly destined for a career in Formula One and I'm sure the test will be a positive experience on both sides."

Barcelona test line-up