Italian-based team Rapax has signed up British driver Adrian Quaife-Hobbs to race alongside Simon Trummer in the 2014 GP2 Series, it was announced today. “I am very happy and proud to have Adrian in our team,” said Rapax CEO Andrea Bergamini. “He is one of the most impressive young drivers of the last season and he will be forming an high-quality couple with Simon.”

It will be Quaife-Hobbs’s second season in the feeder series, but Rapax will be the third team that he has driven for in the championship since moving up to GP2 after winning the 2012 Auto GP World Series title with Super Nova International. Quaife-Hobbs made his GP2 début last year in Malaysia with MP Motorport, collecting a rummers-up spot on the podium in the Monaco sprint event in May, just eight races into his maiden season.

After a total of six weekends with the team, Quaife-Hobbs then made a mid-season switch to Hilmer Motorsports for the rest of 2013 and along the way collected his first series win at the end of a hard-fought Monza sprint race in September. “I am delighted to be joining Rapax for my 2014 season in GP2,” Quaife-Hobbs said. “After a successful rookie year in the 2013 GP2 season I am looking forward to returning this season to fight for the championship.”

“Adrian can also benefit from the good developmental path he has enjoyed,” concurred Bergamini. “He grew up season after season and did well in all the series he entered so far. I am also happy to welcome a driver from the British tradition. I expect a top-class mix together with the Italian professionalism of Team Rapax.” Quaife-Hobbs’ signing comes with just under a week before all the GP2 teams are due to participate in the first of two pre-season test sessions, the first at Abu Dabi from March 11 to 13 with the second planned for Bahrain International Circuit the following week.

The first race of the season will take place on April 4 in Bahrain, with Quaife-Hobbs setting his sights in regular podium places in 2014. “Together with Rapax I feel we can have a winning season,” he said. “I am looking forward to getting in the car in Abu Dhabi for pre-season testing and working alongside a great team.”

This post was written by Ben Ervine