Thanks to Oliver and his manager Didier, I have had the chance to ask the Penrith-born driver some questions!

Congrats on your first GP2 Asia win! How did it feel?

Thank you, it was an amazing feeling to win the feature race in Abu Dhabi in only my second GP2 weekend! Although at the first round, I had missed the two day test before hand to compete in the final round of World Series by Renault so I felt like this was my first real weekend. I have been working hard on myself and with the iSport team over the winter to be ready for this season, so it was a fantastic way to start the year!

Who first got you into motorsport & how?

My father first introduced me to motorsport. He never raced himself but had always been a fan of motorsport. One of his friends through his work, had two sons involved in karting. They kindly let both of us to try an outdoor kart for the first time. I was only seven, my father did five laps before he had had enough but I went round all day at Rowrah which is my local kart circuit and enjoyed every moment. We just started for fun but after winning my first five novice races we progressed quickly to become Junior British Kart Champion twice.

Obviously I run a Formula 1 blog, at this stage in your career how much are you thinking about Formula 1?

Well Formula 1 is my objective, not only to compete but to become World Champion, but currently and for this year my focus will be on GP2. I want to learn as much as possible so that I can keep on improving. If I can achieve my objective this season, then I am sure everything else will take care of itself.

You competed with Jaime Alguersuari who has moved up to F1 almost instantly, surely this makes you a little jealous?

I am very pleased to have been team mates with Jaime for the last two seasons, it was a pleasure to work with him closely through F3 and World Series by Renault. He’s extremely quick and tough competitor which has allowed us to have some great races together. I was extremely disappointed to narrowly lose the British F3 championship in the final race to him but managed to beat him last season in the World Series by Renault championship to become top Rookie. However I am really pleased for him to have been given an opportunity to race in F1 and hope that we can be racing together there in the future.

Do you have any other forms of racing in mind, or is it finish this season and see where you go from there?

I love all types of motorsport but definitely for now I have only one objective which is to become GP2 champion. During the season along with Didier Coton of Aces Management, we will have to see what opportunities we have to progress.

You are backed by the Racing Steps foundation. How has this foundation given you support? How hard would it have been to get where you are today without funding from Racing Steps?

The Racing Steps Foundation was set up at the end of 2007 to support talented young British drivers that struggled to raise the huge amounts of money required to go racing. I was selected as their first driver to compete in British F3 during the 2008 season. Throughout my career from karting up until the Racing Steps, I have always struggled to raise the budget to compete and have fully relied on sponsorship, often meaning I had to compete on a much lower budget. Without the Racing Steps coming along when they did, it would have been extremely difficult for me to have progressed to F3 so I don’t think I would be where I am today without their support.

Oliver Turvey's helmet. Cool, eh?

We like our helmet designs over here at An F1 Blog and we think that yours is magnificent! Where does the inspiration for your helmet design come from?

I designed my helmet paintwork myself, which took a while as I am a bit of a perfectionist and like things to be exactly right! I remember drawing thousands of different designs until I was happy to actually get it painted and it has stayed very similar ever since.

Do you feel ready for F1?

Absolutely, after my first experience of F1 with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes at the end of last season in Jerez, I feel that I can definitely be competitive at the highest level. However I feel you can always improve as a driver so a year in GP2 will make me stronger.

Are there any F1 drivers you admire or idolise?

No but I do have respect for the top F1 drivers. I hope to have an opportunity to compete at the highest level against the top drivers in the World.

Thanks Oliver, and good luck for the future – I’m sure we’ll see you in an F1 car in the not too distant future!

Kobayashi stood in for an injured Timo Glock at Toyota in the last 2 races of last season to make his F1 debut. He finished 9th and 6th but won himself an instant fanbase due to his aggressive style. Kobayashi has previously won the GP2 Asia Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 Italia. He said:

“Ever since the start of my career I have dreamed of racing in F1. Now this dream has come true. I am very happy that my two races in 2009 have earned me a cockpit place.

“I will do my very best for Peter Sauber’s team and I am proud to be able to carry on flying the Japanese flag in F1.”

Team boss Peter Sauber said:

“I’m very much looking forward to working together with Kamui. In the final two Grand Prix of last season he was granted an unexpected chance to show his skills, and he made impressive use of it.

“Particularly in the Abu Dhabi race he demonstrated not only that he can drive fast and aggressively, but also his ability to successfully implement a strategy. I am convinced he has a great deal of potential and will be able to make the most of it in our team.”

Campos Meta, the Madrid-based F1 racing outfit, could be closing in on a team-mate for Bruno Senna.

It is being rumoured that 25-year-old Portuguese race driver Alvaro Parente is on the verge of taking the drive.

Portuguese journalist Jorge Girao (of sportmores.com) said:

“Some of the companies have interests in Spain so it would be very positive for Alvaro’s sponsors to be with a Spanish team.”

It is also rumoured there are a few other drivers in the running (Vitaly Petrov & Pastor Maldonado) but the team have been promised sponsorship backing but seen very little.

Parente won the British Formula 3 Championship in 2003, with Carlin Motorsport, and the 2007 World Series by Renault in 2007, with Tech 1 Racing.

Parente moved into GP2 with the Super Nova Racing team. He finished eighth in the championship.

In 2009, he ran in the GP2 Asia Series with Malaysian team MY QI-Meritus.Mahara and in the GP2 Series with Ocean Racing Technology, finishing eighth.

McLaren have today announced that 22 year old Brit Oliver Turvey will test for the team at the young drivers test in Jerez, which starts tomorrow and runs to December 3rd.

Turvey is currently driving in the GP2 Asia series for the iSport International team.

Turvey gets to drive the 2009 McLaren as a prize for winning the 2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year award. He said;

“I’ve gone over this moment so many times in my mind, so it’s very exciting to be getting this opportunity to test with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team at Jerez this week. My aim is to enjoy the experience, but also to learn as much as I can from it. If possible, I’d also like to be able to help the team with their preparations for the 2010 season.”

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh said;

“We’re extremely proud of our commitment to young talent and the efforts we’ve made to ensure the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver winners are given the experience of a lifetime when they test with us.”

“A drive in a race-wining Formula 1 car is every racing driver’s dream, and I’m sure Oliver will use this week’s test as the perfect opportunity to broaden his experience as he continues his successful single-seater career.”