Virgin Racing team all fired up for first testing session at Silverstone

The Yorkshire team's Cosworth engine was fired-up for the first time on Saturday at the team's design factory in Bicester, Oxfordshire, with the operation now decamping to Silverstone on Thursday for the official shakedown.

John Booth's team – which will be based in Dinnington after the testing sessions in Spain later this month – became the first of the four new Formula 1 outfits to test their engine ahead of the new season, which begins in Bahrain on March 14.

The team's car, the VR-01, will launch digitally on Wednesday.

It is the sport's first all-digital challenger as it has been designed and initially tested on computer at Nick Wirth's Bicester factory, rather than via any wind tunnel, which is the common practice for Formula 1 teams.

Technical director Wirth said: "I'm really happy to have done the fire-up checks, and to have reached this new milestone in our schedule as planned.

"I must say the VR-01 is looking quite a neat package, and we're all looking forward to seeing the car on-track for the first time on Thursday."

The shakedown at Silverstone, which involves systematic testing and confidence-building of all car parts and on-car systems, will be followed by the team's first official testing session in Jerez, Spain, next Wednesday. The majority of marques begin testing in Valencia today.

Vitaly Petrov will make history this season by becoming the first Russian to compete in Formula 1 after landing a drive with Renault.

Last season's GP2 runner-up is understood to have landed his seat courtesy of the considerable financial support he has behind him. The 25-year-old from Vyborg will partner Poland's Robert Kubica.

"I'm really happy. It's brilliant, what I've waited for for a long time," beamed Petrov.

Renault, predominantly owned by Luxembourg-based private investment firm Genii Capital following their buy-out in early December, took the wraps off their new car, the R30, yesterday.