Manor Racing has confirmed that GP2 sensation Rio Haryanto has secured a seat next to DTM champ Pascal Wehrlein for the 2016 Formula 1 season.
The young Indonesian driver finished last year’s GP2 season in 4th place behind Sergey Sirotkin, Alex Rossi and Stoffell Vandoorne, yet edged out Will Stevens (who already raced for Manor) for the final seat this year.
It’s also believed that Haryanto has a large financial backing from the state, which was something that neither Stevens nor Rossi could match.
According to Autosport, the 23-year old, who has chosen #88 as his race number, stated that “Manor Racing is a team with an exciting vision and ambitious plans. They have produced a great package and I can’t wait to get in the car.”
He then added that he’s extremely grateful to be able to represent Asia in Formula 1, which should definitely count for something during the season opener in Australia.
Team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick described Haryanto as “tenacious on and off the track,” while adding that the young Indonesian driver “made a big impression on last year’s GP2 battle.”
Haryanto is set to join his teammate Pascal Wehrlein in Barcelona next week for the first two pre-season tests.
PHOTO GALLERY
