LONDON, England - Red Bull has signed Nissan's former GT Academy gamer champion for the 2014 GP3 season.
Jann Mardenborough (22), honed his skills on the Playstation game Gran Turismo, winning the Nissan-sponsored virtual competition GT Academy and then moving into real-life GT, Le Mans and F3 single seaters.
VIDEO: Red Bull signs Nissan's gamer wonderkid for GP3
Red Bull driver development chief Andy Damerum said: "The traditional route to F1 of karting and single-seaters is a tried and tested success, but Nissan and Playstation have gone down a very different road and started to find some very talented drivers who have been doing all their practising on a game console."
NEW BLOOD
Mardenborough has been signed up by the energy drink company, and in 2014 he moves into the third-tier F1 feeder series GP3 with Christian Horner's Arden team.
It is the very seat that was occupied by Russian Daniil Kvyat in 2013, who has entered Formula 1 for the 2014 season with the energy drink company's second team, Toro Rosso.
Mardenborough added: "This season is my opportunity to impress more people in the sport who make the decisions on who makes it into F1 and who doesn't, and I'm going to give it my best shot."
Jann Mardenborough (22), honed his skills on the Playstation game Gran Turismo, winning the Nissan-sponsored virtual competition GT Academy and then moving into real-life GT, Le Mans and F3 single seaters.
VIDEO: Red Bull signs Nissan's gamer wonderkid for GP3
Red Bull driver development chief Andy Damerum said: "The traditional route to F1 of karting and single-seaters is a tried and tested success, but Nissan and Playstation have gone down a very different road and started to find some very talented drivers who have been doing all their practising on a game console."
NEW BLOOD
Mardenborough has been signed up by the energy drink company, and in 2014 he moves into the third-tier F1 feeder series GP3 with Christian Horner's Arden team.
It is the very seat that was occupied by Russian Daniil Kvyat in 2013, who has entered Formula 1 for the 2014 season with the energy drink company's second team, Toro Rosso.
Mardenborough added: "This season is my opportunity to impress more people in the sport who make the decisions on who makes it into F1 and who doesn't, and I'm going to give it my best shot."