Formula Renault 3.5 driver António Félix da Costa is to stand in for Sébastien Buemi as Red Bull Racing reserve driver this weekend in China.
Sébastien Buemi will be driving at the World Endurance Championship (WEC) season opener in Silverstone for Toyota, whilst Red Bull are racing in Shanghai.
Da Costa won last weekend in Monza, driving in the Formula Renault 3.5 series for Arden Caterham Motorsport.
This is not the 21 year old's first foray into Formula 1. In 2010, he participated in the Young Driver's Test in Abu Dhabi driving for Force India - and for Red Bull last year.
The Portuguese rookie is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, a programme run by Red Bull to help find & nurture future racing stars. Members are sponsored & financed by Red Bull. He joined last year, after Lewis Williamson left the team to further his career in GP3.
The current Junior Team consists of: António Félix da Costa, Tom Blonqvist, Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz Jr., Beitske Visser and Callan O'Keeffe. Former drivers include F1 World Champion Sebastien Vettel, Karun Chandhok, Daniel Ricciardo & Race Department member
Daniel Juncadella.
Da Costa currently sits third in the F3.5 championship, behind McLaren junior programme members Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. He joined F3.5 after narrowly missing out on the GP3 title last year, however, he won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in November.
Buemi joined Red Bull as the reserve driver after losing his seat with Toro Rosso at the end of 2011.
The Swiss 24 year old, however, is expanding his portfolio of racing experience by driving with Toyota. He joined Toyota's 24 Hours of Le Mans squad in 2012, with Anthony Davidson and Stephane Sarrazin.
Despite his commitments with Toyota, Buemi has still managed to attend every Formula 1 engagement up until this weekend, which clashes with the WEC's first race.
Images: Endurance-Info & Zimbio
