Chilton gets FP1 chance

British racing driver Max Chilton will make his F1 weekend debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

(c) Octane Photographic

The GP2 racer, who finished 4th in this years championship, was appointed the Marussia test and reserve driver for the Japanese Grand Prix onwards, and has finally been given a chance to drive on a race weekend.

Chilton will replace French driver Charles Pic for the first practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Chilton said on the announcement, I feel very proud to be entrusted with this opportunity by the Marussia team," said Chilton. "This is the next step in the process of proving my potential and another important notch for me personally in terms of my ultimate goals.

"As for next Friday, the 90 minutes of FP1 will fly by so quickly that it's a real bonus to be testing the car at a circuit I know well.

"It means I can get up to speed straight away and focus on delivering some proper set-up and aero evaluation data for the Team to help during the rest of the weekend.

"My thanks to everyone at the Marussia F1 team for the faith they have shown in me so far and I will now concentrate my efforts on keeping my excitement in check and ensuring I make the most of this fantastic opportunity!"

Max has a good knowledge of the track, after racing there in GP2 and for Force India in the 2011 young driver test.