Alexander Rossi to race for Manor in five races in place of Merhi

Alexander Rossi will be making his Formula One race debut with Manor at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, making him the first American to race in the sport since Scott Speed at the 2007 European Grand Prix.

Rossi was lined up for a race seat with the team during their previous incarnation as Marussia, but it was not to be. He was also one of the contenders for a seat at Haas next year, but rumours of the 23-year-old joining the team were silenced when Haas said they would not be signing an American driver.

A statement from the team said: “The Manor Marussia F1 Team is pleased to announce that it has signed Alexander Rossi as Race Driver for five of the seven remaining rounds of the 2015 season, competing alongside Will Stevens.”

Rossi will also compete in Japan, USA, Mexico and Brazil. Roberto Merhi will be the team’s reserve driver with Fabio Leimer, but will race in Russia and Abu Dhabi to allow Rossi to finish this year’s GP2 championship, in which the American is currently 2nd behind McLaren protégé Stoffel Vandoorne.

Merhi’s new position in the team comes shortly after deciding not to continue with his Formula Renault 3.5 commitments to focus on his Formula One career.

Team Principal John Booth said: “We are delighted to sign Alexander as Race Driver. He is widely-regarded as a driver who is on the cusp of an exciting F1 career and his current form in the GP2 series has done much to reinforce his clear potential.

“Signing Alexander is a continuation of our proud record of providing young drivers with the opportunity to showcase their talents. We believe he will do a great job and look forward to seeing him race for the first time this weekend in Singapore.

“It is also fantastic news for the sport that it will have an American driver again, particularly with the United States Grand Prix on our horizon and now two races in South America, in Mexico and Brazil. I know Alexander is very excited about that and we look forward to providing him with the opportunity to show the American public what he can do.”

Rossi said: “I’m very thankful to race for the Manor Marussia F1 Team and for their continued belief in me. I’ve been prepared for this opportunity for quite a while now. Many will know from 2014 that the team and I already have a strong relationship and there’s a bit of unfinished business for me here.

“I want to thank the management at Manor Marussia F1 Team and my team in the GP2 Series, Racing Engineering, for supporting both my F1 duties and the completion of an already strong GP2 campaign.

“Since Monza, my return to F1 came together rather quickly and seamlessly. The collective support of both Manor and Racing Engineering was instrumental in making this opportunity possible.”

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