This season, Nico Hulkenberg has been named Aston Martin’s official Formula One reserve and development driver, the team said on Thursday.

Last year, when the Silverstone-based team competed as Racing Point, the experienced German stood in for Mexican Sergio Perez and Canadian Lance Stroll, both of whom tested positive for COVID-19.

Perez has now left Red Bull, and Germany’s four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has joined the team from Ferrari.

Hulkenberg, 33, has won the Le Mans 24 Hours and started 176 F1 races in a career that began with Williams in 2010 and has included stints with Racing Point’s predecessors Force India.

“It’s great to get this deal signed up with plenty of notice,” Hulkenberg said in a statement. “Last year, I didn’t have quite as much time to prepare before jumping in the car.

“Obviously, I’m hoping that Sebastian and Lance enjoy uninterrupted seasons this year, but the team knows it can rely on me to step in and do an excellent job.”

The German had also been associated with a reserve role at Mercedes, who provides Aston Martin’s engines.

Mercedes has Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne and Dutch driver Nyck de Vries as reserves, although both are racing in Formula E this season, and the calendars overlap at some races.

The role has become more important during the pandemic, with Mercedes calling on Williams driver George Russell in Bahrain last December when seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton contracted the virus.

McLaren and Mercedes have an agreement to use their reserve drivers if necessary.

The uniforms of Formula One racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price: