Russian teen gets Force India role

The 16-year-old joins Mexican Alfonso Celis on the team's development roster and will combine the position with a season in the Formula 3 European Championship with Hitech GP.

Force India says Mazepin will have regular simulator sessions and attend various races over the course of the season.

It described his role as "the beginning of a long-term association with the team".

"I'm still young and I have a lot to learn, so the guidance and experience of Force India is really important for my development," he said.

"My goal is to race in Formula 1 in the future and today's news takes me closer to achieving that objective."

Mazepin finished second in the 2014 CIK-FIA karting world championship before graduating to Formula Renault 2.0 NEC last season, where he finished 12th in the standings with a single podium.

Team boss Vijay Mallya added: "We have a strong track record of identifying and nurturing young talent and it is clear that Nikita is already a very capable and determined racer.

"2016 will provide the perfect opportunity to showcase his abilities and develop the skills needed to become a Formula 1 driver.

"We plan to use him extensively on our new simulator and he will also support our in-season testing programme, which will play an important role in the development of the VJM09."

It is unclear whether Mazepin will drive for Force India at the in-season tests in Spain and Britain as the team has yet to decide on its line-up.