Oxfordshire teenager James Peace is to train with Red Bull driver Mark Webber as he continues to pursue his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver.

The 17-year-old, from Stonesfield, will get his chance to work with the Australian ace after being invited to join the Motor Sports Association Academy Squad for a second successive year.

Peace will be among just 20 young drivers on the MSA’s Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence programme (AASE), a government-funded course with the aim to produce elite athletes.

And, as part of his squad membership, Peace will train with Webber at the Porsche Human Performance Centre at Silverstone.

The teenager excelled in his rookie year in the 2011 British Automobile Racing Club’s Dunlop InterSteps Champion-ship with the ASM-Motaworld Racing team, despite severely restricted testing.

Two wins, 11 podiums, two poles, and three fastest laps later, his mind is now set on being Intersteps champion 2012.

Of his selection, Peace said: “Many have said that my rookie year was incredible, and the honour of being invited to spend another year with the MSA Academy is testament to that, and a fabulous confidence boost.

“Those close to me know that winning is my only passion and despite my relative lack of experience, I was not satisfied with some of my performances in 2011. “I have already identified and targeted areas that will unlock further performance gains in 2012, and being part of the Academy will help me even further.

“Serious career drivers have always taken a two-year approach to junior formulae and you don’t have to look any further than Sebastian Vettel, who spent two years in Formula BMW, the cars used by the Intersteps Champion-ship. “I have never followed the crowd and my background presents me with more hurdles than most have to overcome.

“But I have shown time and time again that I have what it takes to become the best of the best.”