French driver Nathanael Berthon will take part in the young drivers' test in Abu Dhabi with HRT.

Berthon will join up with the team having taken part in the final GP2 event last weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit. The Frenchman will get his first experience of a Formula 1 car on Wednesday with the Spanish team.

"I'm pleased to have the chance to drive in this test for HRT as this will be my first real contact with a Formula 1 car," said Berthon. "Without a doubt, this will be an experience that will reinforce my motivation for the future, and will help me to learn and understand better all the technology of an F1 car and how the tyres react in different situations. Formula 1 is what every driver aspires to reach but for me this is another step in my preparation for the future and my long-term objective; I'm just taking this as an experience. My target is to continue working and build my career step by step, and this test is just one more of those small but invaluable steps".

Like many drivers, Berthon took his first motorsport steps in the world of karting. He made his single-seater racing debut in Formula Renault 2.0 in 2008. One year later he would go on to finish the Formula Renault 2.0 WEC in 3rd place and the Formula Renault Eurocup in 6th. In 2010 he took part in the World Series by Renault where he took one win on his way to a 7th place finish in the championship, he also raced in three British F3 events achieving one podium. This year Berthon has competed in Formula Renault 3.5 and the GP2 Asia series, his highlight being a 3rd place finish at Silverstone.