Esteban Ocon has been confirmed as Rio Haryanto’s replacement at Manor for the remainder of the 2016 Formula 1 season.
Haryanto’s race driver deal was terminated after he was unable to meet his contractual obligations with the British outfit.
The Indonesian racer moved up to F1 at the start of the 2016 season after several years racing in GP2, scoring a best finish of 15th at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Having lost his seat in F1 with Manor, the team has offered him a reserve driver role for the remaining nine rounds, which he has now accepted.
Haryanto will be replaced by Ocon, who was previously on loan by Mercedes to Renault as the Enstone-based outfit’s reserve driver.
Ocon has been juggling his role at Renault with a season in the DTM series so far in 2016, racing for the Mercedes ART Team.
The French driver has previously won championships in European Formula 3 and GP3. He will make his F1 debut for Manor at the Belgian Grand Prix later this month, partnering Pascal Wehrlein.
"Rio has been a much-valued member of our team since January, when we signed a contract with him for this season," Dave Ryan, Manor’s race director, explained about the situation.
"Some time ago, his management indicated that they were experiencing difficulties honouring the obligations of that contract beyond the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"Unfortunately we reached a point where, in the best interests of the team, we were forced to explore other options for the remainder of the season."
Commenting on his move to Manor, Ocon said: "I’m thrilled that I’ll be making my debut with Manor later this month, and at Spa, of all circuits, which is the next best thing to my home race.
"I’m ready for this exciting step up, thanks to the experience I’ve gained as a Formula 1 reserve driver this season.
"I’d like to thank Renault Sport F1 Team and Mercedes-Benz for working together to make this happen, and to Manor for the opportunity, which I’m going to grab with both hands."
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| © Manor |
The Indonesian racer moved up to F1 at the start of the 2016 season after several years racing in GP2, scoring a best finish of 15th at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Having lost his seat in F1 with Manor, the team has offered him a reserve driver role for the remaining nine rounds, which he has now accepted.
Haryanto will be replaced by Ocon, who was previously on loan by Mercedes to Renault as the Enstone-based outfit’s reserve driver.
Ocon has been juggling his role at Renault with a season in the DTM series so far in 2016, racing for the Mercedes ART Team.
The French driver has previously won championships in European Formula 3 and GP3. He will make his F1 debut for Manor at the Belgian Grand Prix later this month, partnering Pascal Wehrlein.
"Rio has been a much-valued member of our team since January, when we signed a contract with him for this season," Dave Ryan, Manor’s race director, explained about the situation.
"Some time ago, his management indicated that they were experiencing difficulties honouring the obligations of that contract beyond the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"Unfortunately we reached a point where, in the best interests of the team, we were forced to explore other options for the remainder of the season."
Commenting on his move to Manor, Ocon said: "I’m thrilled that I’ll be making my debut with Manor later this month, and at Spa, of all circuits, which is the next best thing to my home race.
"I’m ready for this exciting step up, thanks to the experience I’ve gained as a Formula 1 reserve driver this season.
"I’d like to thank Renault Sport F1 Team and Mercedes-Benz for working together to make this happen, and to Manor for the opportunity, which I’m going to grab with both hands."
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