Bruno Senna was privately evaluated by the Williams team during the winter before being announced as the team's second driver for 2012.

13135 - Bruno Senna was evaluated by Williams

Senna replaces Rubens Barrichello having driven for Renault during the last eight races of the 2011 season. With his only other Formula One appearances having come with HRT, Sir Frank Williams admitted that the team wanted to look at him first, saying: "The circumstances of Bruno's two seasons in Formula One have not given him an ideal opportunity to deliver consistently so it was essential that we spent as much time with him as possible to understand and evaluate him as a driver."

While acknowledging why the team wanted to analyse him, Senna said that the time would also prove useful in helping him settle in ahead of the first test in Jerez.

"I've been at the Williams factory in Grove both before and after Christmas being really put through my paces in the simulator, on the track and in the gym," Senna said. "We've also done some evaluation work on the track (but not in an F1 car).

"The main purpose was for the team to evaluate me and to understand how to get the best out of me as a driver. But it's also been really useful for me as it familiarises me with all the procedural things, such as learning the layout of the steering wheel before I get into the real car. When we start testing I won't need to think about that so I'll just be able to get on and drive the FW34."