LONDON // Formula One team Manor has appointed Indonesia’s Rio Haryanto as one of the team’s race drivers for the coming season.
Haryanto, 23, will become the first Indonesian to compete in F1 and joins Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein in an all-rookie line-up for the season that begins March 20 in Melbourne, Australia.
“Melbourne will be a huge moment for me, my country, supporters and fans and I want to thank everyone who’s been with me since I started in single-seaters; 2016 is my chance to reward that faith and represent Asia in F1,” Haryanto said in a team statement issued Thursday.
Read more: Pascal Wehrlein claims he will be joining F1 grid with Manor
The second race seat at Manor was the last vacancy among the 11 teams for 2016, and Haryanto’s appointment completes the driver line-up.
Haryanto has spent the past four seasons racing in the GP2 series, winning three races in 2015 to secure fourth place in the season standings. He has had commercial backing from Indonesia’s state oil and gas company Pertamina.
Manor owner Stephen Fitzpatrick said Haryanto is “tenacious on and off the track and made a big impression on last year’s GP2 battle”.
“Rio’s huge following in Indonesia is great for the team and for F1. They are keen to see him on the grid and we’re confident that we’ll see him enjoying some exciting battles in the year ahead,” Fitzpatrick said.
The appointment of Wehrlein and Haryanto means there is no place for American driver Alex Rossi, who raced with the team last year and had been hopeful of retaining his place.
Manor’s switch to a Mercedes engine this season had raised hopes of a more competitive showing for the team, which entered the sport in 2010 as Virgin and then Marussia.
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