French racing driver, Esteban Ocon, will replace Rio Haryanto for the rest of the 2016 Formula One season at Manor.
The 19-year-old will partner with Pascal Wehrlein for the nine remaining rounds of the season.
From the opening round in Australia, it had been no secret that Haryanto, 23, would have to find more sponsorship money in order to compete for the team for the rest of the season. Just two years ago, it looked like team was going out of business for good, and so it needs its drivers to be able to provide funding, which Haryanto has reportedly ran out of. However, Manor has offered Haryanto a role as a Reserve Driver.
Manor recently reached out to 24-year-old Alexander Rossi to fill in Haryanto’s position for the rest of the season, but the 2016 Indy 500 winner turned down the offer in order to finish up the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series.
As for Ocon, he is no stranger in the world of F1. Just last year, he won the GP3 Series championship, and he has been turning laps in various practice sessions as the Reserve Driver for the Renault F1 tam this year. He is also part of the Mercedes-Benz driver development program.
“I’m thrilled that I’ll be making my Grand Prix debut with Manor Racing later this month, and at Spa, of all circuits, which is the next best thing to my home race,” said Ocon. “I’m ready for this exciting step up, thanks to the experience I’ve gained as a Formula One 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 Racing for the opportunity, which I’m going to grab with both hands.
“I’ve visited the Manor Technical Centre already, for my seat fit and to meet with the wider team, so we’ll be ready to hit the ground running after the summer break. They’ve done a great job this season and I’m excited that I’ve been tasked with helping them to build on that progress. I can’t wait to get started!”
Ocon will make his Formula One debut at Belgian GP, which is set to take place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Aug. 28.
