Rookie Indonesian driver to partner Pascal Wehrlein for 2016
Thursday 18 February 2016 16:44, UK
Will Stevens has lost his seat with Manor and will be replaced for the new F1 season by Indonesian driver Rio Haryanto.
The 23-year-old's appointment completes the 2016 grid and leaves just three Englishman in the field - world champion Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button of McLaren and Renault rookie Jolyon Palmer.
Manor announced last week that Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein would complete one half of their line-up.
Haryanto finished fourth in the GP2 junior series last year but has substantial sponsorship backing - reputedly worth in excess of £10m - from the Indonesian government.
He will carry the number 88 on his car in 2016.
"Manor Racing is a team with an exciting vision and ambitious plans," said Haryanto. "They have produced a great package and I can't wait to get in the car. 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."
Stevens, who previously drove for Caterham, is expected to continue his motorsport career in America.
Manor will be powered by Mercedes engines in 2016 and, having failed to score a point last year, are targeting 'a competitive season' following a major engineering reshuffle over the winter which has seen former Ferrari technical chiefs Pat Fry and Nikolas Tombazis join the team.
The 2016 F1 grid in full:
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg
Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen
Williams: Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa
Red Bull: Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo
Force India: Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez
Renault: Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer
Toro Rosso: Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen
Sauber: Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr
McLaren: Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso
Manor: Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto
Haas: Esteban Gutierrez and Romain Grosjean
The first Barcelona test starts on Monday February 22 and the Sky Sports F1 Digital team will be providing live commentary from dawn until dusk on all four days of both Barcelona tests while Sky Sports News HQ will also deliver live updates from trackside.
