Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi has been confirmed as Pirelli's test driver. The 26-year-old will drive the Italian company's Toyota TF109 test car to develop the latest generation of F1 tyres for the future in at least five tests this year.

In addition to carrying out the tests, the Brazilian will attend some grands prix with Pirelli this year starting from Silverstone, in order to collect information and pass on his experience during technical debriefs.

Di Grassi has been driving Formula One cars since 2005 as a reserve driver for Renault, before obtaining a full time seat in 2010 with Virgin. He has also finished in the top three of the GP2 championship on three consecutive occasions from 2007-2009.

"A significant part of our tyre development stems from the feedback we receive from our test driver," said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery, "so this is an absolutely crucial appointment. Lucas has impressed us not only with his pace, which is vital if we are going to accurately simulate racing conditions, but also his technical feedback to the engineers. I'm delighted to welcome Lucas into the team."

"Pirelli has done a fantastic job so far in a very short space of time," added di Grassi, "and I'm looking forward to helping to make the P Zero tyres even better in the future: not just for the drivers and teams but for the spectators as well. This is a great opportunity for me to get more time behind the wheel of a Formula One car - which is difficult these days because of the current testing regulations - and also to use my knowledge to help make a real difference to the sport."