Nissany retains role as Williams F1 test driver
Roy Nissany is to continue in his role as official test driver for the Williams Formula 1 team for the 2021 season.
The Israeli, who joined the Grove team last year, is the first support driver to be formally confirmed by the new owners, who took over in September.
Nissany drove in three FP1 sessions in 2020 in Spain, Italy and at the first Bahrain race, and he also completed a full day of running at the post-season Abu Dhabi test.
He has been promised three more Friday outings in 2021, and significantly he will also do one of the three pre-season test days with the new car in Bahrain – which means that race drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi will only have one full day apiece before the first race.
The team is planning a 100km filming day, which could give one or both of the race drivers some extra mileage, but it has not been confirmed yet.
Williams says that Nissany will also conduct more extensive simulator running than he did in 2020.
Last year, the 26-year-old combined his F1 duties with an F2 season with Trident Racing.
He scored points only twice, with an eighth place at Spa and 10th in the first Austrian race, and was classified 19th in the championship.
Williams team principal Simon Roberts said: "As a team, we were very happy with the contributions Roy made both through his work on-track and in the simulator at Grove, which all aided the lap time gains we were able to make with the FW43.
"We also enjoyed seeing Roy grow as a driver, and we have no doubt that he will continue to go from strength-to-strength this year."
"I am truly honoured to continue being part of Williams," said Nissany. "Since we started, we have made huge progress across many areas. On top of the great FP1s, we had a lot of productive work behind the scenes.
"While dedicating as much as I can to the team, I enhanced my skills and my capabilities as a driver. I am very keen to continue this form in 2021."
Related video
Mercedes adds Frederik Vesti to junior F1 programme
COVID impact "opened the eyes" of Formula 1 teams - Tost
Verstappen samples Honda NSX-GT SUPER GT car
Max Verstappen got behind the wheel of a Honda SUPER GT car for the first time at Motegi on Saturday ahead of the marque's end-of-year 'Thanks Day' event.
How trailblazer Kalle Rovanpera has ripped up the WRC record book
At the tender age of 22, Kalle Rovanpera is redefining what’s possible to achieve in rallying and inspiring a new legion of fans as a result. The newly-crowned World Rally Championship title-winner and his peers reflect on his ability and the start of his success in the top tier.
WEC drivers bid farewell to special GTE Pro category
The GTE Pro era of the FIA World Endurance Championship should be celebrated for the kind of machinery and close racing it offered, according to drivers who were a part of the category over the years.
Verstappen: F1 drivers should quit if not prepared for marathon battles
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen says drivers should quit if they aren’t prepared for the intensity of super-close title battles.
Can Mercedes break Formula 1's cycle of doom?
OPINION: Teams that have dominated for long periods throughout Formula 1's history often take years to get back to the top of the tree once they've slipped down. But it remains to be seen whether the same will happen to Mercedes after a challenging 2022 season
What hurt Perez most in his ill-fated fight for second in Abu Dhabi
Arguably the favourite in the battle to finish second-best in 2022's Formula 1 standings, Sergio Perez's two-stop strategy at Abu Dhabi couldn't take him ahead of Charles Leclerc when the music stopped - and several key factors ultimately precluded him from the much-coveted runner-up spot.
The Abu Dhabi momentum that can propel Leclerc and Ferrari to F1 2023 success
OPINION: Charles Leclerc achieved his target of sealing runner-up in the 2022 world championship with a masterful drive behind Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. And that race contained key elements that may help him, and Ferrari, go one better in Formula 1 2023
2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2022 Formula 1 season came to a close at the Yas Marina Circuit, where the battle for second in the standings was decided, the wins in a season record extended and a retiring four-time world champion bowed out on a high. Here's how we rated the drivers
The factors that stopped Perez catching Leclerc in Verstappen's Abu Dhabi triumph
Max Verstappen ended the 2022 Formula 1 season in fitting fashion with a dominant drive to victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But behind him, early season rival Charles Leclerc achieved his target of securing the runner-up spot with a well-executed a one-stop strategy to beat Sergio Perez, whose pursuit on a two-stop strategy was hampered by several critical factors
Why the impact of FIA’s anti-bouncing metric is hard to judge
Faced with drivers complaining about the long-term health effects of car ‘bouncing’, the FIA stepped in to deal with it. JAKE BOXALL-LEGGE explains how the so-called ‘Aerodynamic Oscillation Metric’ works, and asks if it is fit for purpose?
Where Vettel stands in the list of the greatest F1 drivers
As Sebastian Vettel’s Formula 1 career draws to a close, figuring out where he fits into the greatest of all time order is a tough and subjective call. With the aid of statistics, attributes and history, here’s how the four-time world champion stacks up in the debate
The omen Ferrari hopes to continue by ending its Abu Dhabi jinx
It’s been an unlucky 13 for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi since the first Formula 1 race was held there in 2009. But if the Scuderia can finally win at the Yas Marina Circuit in 2022, then BEN EDWARDS feels this could bode well for even greater success in 2023