David Scott's racing career has taken a new twist after being signed up by a Formula One team.

Scott has made a name for himself in single-seater racing over the last couple of years. Now he is joining the Red Bull Formula One team.

But, before we get carried away, Bull is not about to replace David Coulthard as the team's new driver or become the next Jenson Button - not just yet anyway.

Scott, 22, from Heathfield, has an aerospace engineering degree and began a new job this week as a wind tunnel technician with Red Bull.

He will be part of a team testing, analysing and providing data about new components.

It is a dream job for someone with a passion for the sport and his knowledge of racing and his hunger for success will certainly hold him in good stead.

Scott took up single-seater racing four years ago and made his mark by winning the 600cc category of the Formula Honda Championship in 2003.

Now racing for his own DS Motorsport team in the Formula Renault BARC Championship, the Sussex driver climbed to third in the Club class with another impressive drive in rounds six and seven of the series at Croft last weekend.

Scott hopes to maintain his challenge in the championship but concedes his priorities lie elsewhere.

He said: "My career with Red Bull has to come first and for a while my racing may have to take a bit of a backseat.

"I would like to go as far as I can with my career and it is something I have got to concentrate on. But hopefully we can continue to do well with the racing.

"This is a learning year for me as it is my first full year in the championship but I think I can finish in the top three."

DS Motorsport is a local, family run team. Dad Peter Scott is team manager and technician and the team is backed by local sponsors such as Eurovans of Eastbourne, Apaseal (Hailsham), Hawkswood Service Station and Focus Garage Equipment Services, where Scott worked until moving to Red Bull this week.

It was after a spot of go-karting on holiday in Spain that David pestered his dad to allow him to have a go at it back home.

He started karting at local level aged 12 and did a year in SuperOne before switching to Formula Honda in 2001.

Scott did a handful of races the first year, claiming a best finish of fourth, then finished fourth overall in the championship in 2002 and won it the following year with nine wins out of ten races, including three lap records, seven fastest laps and nine pole positions.

He said: "We then decided to take another step up and switched to Formula Renault. I only did a couple of meetings last year. I effectively had a year out as I was finishing my degree. I was testing and learning the car.

"This year we are doing the full series."

Scott had two did not finishes' to go with a third and a fourth in the first four rounds, leaving him fourth in the championship.

He said: "It has gone all right but it could have gone better. If someone hadn't run up the back of me when I was second on the last lap in round two, I would be comfortably second in the championship.

"To be fourth after only finishing twice out of four races wasn't too bad."

Things got better at Croft last weekend. Scott was second in class and fifth overall in race one, then second again and sixth overall in race two.

Ian Pearson (Didcot) leads the Club class but Scott is just 12 points behind Martin Bloss (Andover) ahead of the next round at Thruxton on July 24.

As long as his job allows, Scott certainly wants to persevere with his racing and he is already looking towards next year when a step up to the FR 2000 class or a switch to saloon cars are options.

Whatever happens, he has already shown enough on the track to suggest Red Bull have added a winner to their ranks.