Brendon Hartley will race with Scuderia Coloni in the last two rounds of the GP2 Main Series, in Monza and Abu Dhabi.

The 20-year-old kiwi is one of the most interesting talents in motorsport: selected by Red Bull for their Junior Team when he was just 16, he won the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup title in 2007, and was third in the British F.3 Championship in 2008. In 2009 and 2010 he raced in the F.3 Euroseries and WS by Renault, clinching one win and some podium finishes, he was also chosen as a test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing in F1.

Even though Hartley is very talented, he will face a huge challenge: he has never driven a GP2 car before, not even in testing; and debuting on a low downforce track like Monza won't make things easy for him.

Scuderia Coloni's new simulator has been very useful for Hartley, giving him the chance to get acquainted with the GP2 car's speed on the Italian track, learning the racing lines and the braking points, especially the most difficult ones for the "Prima Variante" and "Parabolica" corners.

"We are very happy to have Brendon with us," said Paolo Coloni. "He is a highly esteemed and talented driver, who was selected by Red Bull Racing to be their test driver. This recognition is something very rewarding for the team.

We face a really big task at Monza as Brendon has never driven a GP2 car, but he has great experience in high-powered cars and the team will support him in the best possible way. We are confident that working together we will be able to find the right pace in the little time available".

"GP2 is F1's best feeder series," added Hartley, "so I'm really happy to debut in the championship, even though it will be a big challenge to do so at Monza! I'm very excited to be with Scuderia Coloni: they have been in the championship right from the start in 2005 and they have a great history and a lot of experience. So, I'm confident that I can learn a lot and make the most of the little time I have…

Obviously I have to keep in mind that I have never driven the car before and I'm competing against drivers that have contested the whole championship. Matching their performance won't be easy, I have managed to do a good job with the Coloni simulator and I'm confident that working with the team we will be able to improve steadily. I'd like to say a big thank you to my new sponsors Amazing Thailand, Siam Winery and Spy Wine Cooler: their support has made this debut possible".