According to reports in the New Zealand press, Brendon Hartley will take the place of injured Aussie racer Mark Webber for one day at Red Bull Racing’s December testing program at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.

Hartley, who finished third in the recent Macau F3 event after starting twentieth on the grid, is hoping that his performances behind the wheel of the Red Bull contender could see the team sign him on as official test driver for the 09 season, a healthy promotion for the Red Bull Racing junior member.

Speaking on behalf of the nineteen year old was manager Peter Johnston, who explained that this is the opportunity the young racer has been waiting for...

"Brendon is excited to be given the chance to do a full day's testing at the Jerez circuit on December 15," he told NZPA today. "Depending on his performance, he could become a fulltime test driver for Red Bull in 2009. The Red Bull test is another step forward for his dream of reaching Formula One, it's all part of his apprenticeship. He's been doing solid miles in the right cars in the right formulas. Brendon has been working hard in the gym and doing a lot of neck muscle training as he knows the G-forces are going to be extreme in a Formula One car especially at Jerez which is a high speed cornering track."

Brendon was at the Milton Keynes based factory yesterday where he underwent a seat fitting in preparation for the upcoming test.