Israeli driver Nissany gets invite from F1 team

The 19-year-old has competed in single-seaters in Europe over the past five years and is the son of Chanoch Nissany.

By ALLON SINAI
Israeli driver Roy Nissani (photo credit: Courtesy)
Israeli driver Roy Nissani
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Israel’s Roy Nissany will get a rare opportunity to test a Formula 1 car in Valencia, Spain, on Thursday after receiving a prestigious invitation from team Sauber.
Nissany, who completed his second FIA Formula 3 European Championship season on Sunday, will be making his test debut in a Formula 1 car and will be given a full day to drive the Sauber C31 – the same car which achieved four podium finishes in the 2012 season – on the Ricardo Tormo circuit on the outskirts of the Spanish city.
The 19-year-old has competed in single-seaters in Europe over the past five years and is the son of Chanoch Nissany, who drove in a one-off practice session for Minardi aged 42 at the 2005 Hungarian GP.
“I am delighted to have the chance to test the Sauber C31, and I will put lots of efforts into it to do a good job,” said the young Israeli.
Nissany was one of two drivers invited by Sauber, with Adderly Fong of China to test the car on Wednesday. It is not clear whether Sauber plans to invite them to testing on a more regular basis in the future, but this will certainly be an opportunity Nissany will relish as he continues his quest to become Israel’s first Formula 1 driver.
Nissany ended his second FIA Formula 3 European Championship season with team Mucke Motorsport in 17th place overall in the drivers standings after finishing the final race of the year in 13th place in Hockenheim, Germany, on Sunday.