Oxford/Munich, 21st September 2005. On 27th September, 18-year-old Sebastian Vettel will make his Formula One debut. The young driver from Heppenheim, Germany, will pilot the Williams BMW FW27 during the team's test next week at the Jerez circuit, in Spain.
The talented junior driver was awarded a BMW contract in December 2004 after securing 18 out of 20 wins to take commanding victory in the Formula BMW ADAC Championship. Vettel has since been jointly sponsored by BMW and Red Bull. BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen, commented: "Sebastian Vettel proved his outstanding talent in last year's Formula BMW ADAC Championship. This year he is contesting the Formula 3 Euro Series, in which he has further proved his potential. As a result, we are now giving him the opportunity of a Formula One test in Jerez."

Of the test, Vettel says: "When I found out I was going to have a Formula One test, I was absolutely delighted. Since then, I've been steadily building up my neck muscles to be able to withstand the enormous g-forces I'll face. Above all, I'm really looking forward to experiencing the performance of the BMW V10 engine. At the moment, I find it hard to imagine that kind of power. I get goose bumps just thinking about driving the FW27 next week!"

387, out of a possible 400, championship points plus 14 pole positions - never before had the Formula BMW ADAC Championship been dominated by a driver the way Vettel dominated in 2004. The 2005 season saw Vettel move up into the Formula 3 Euro Series, where he leads the Rookie Cup rankings as the best newcomer, and is fifth in the overall championship standings after 18 out of 20 races. Sebastian Vettel hasn't yet managed to clinch his first Formula 3 victory but, with three second places and a third-placed finish under his belt, he has been on the podium several times.

Giving successful BMW drivers the opportunity to test a Formula One car has become an attractive tradition at BMW. In December 2002, Nico Rosberg climbed into an F1 cockpit at the age of 17 while, a year later, Ho-Pin Tung was the first Chinese driver to clock up some Formula One laps.

December 2005 will see the first Formula BMW World Final take place in Bahrain. The event will be a trial of strength between international junior talents from the four Formula BMW series in Asia, Germany, the UK and the USA. The winner of the contest will also be awarded a Formula One test by BMW.