Following their announcement about Pascal Wehrlein joining the team last week, Manor has confirmed their second driver for 2016. There has been a lot of talk about potentially three drivers sharing the second seat at Manor for 2016, but this has not yet been confirmed by the team.
Rio Haryanto, a 23 year old Indonesian racing driver, will be joining Wehrlein for 2016. Haryanto began his single-seater career in 2008, but quickly advanced to GP3 and GP2 a few seasons later. He is not a stranger of Manor Racing, having raced on their GP3 team in 2010 and 2011, while also serving as the team’s test driver for the 2010 season with the Formula One team when it was under different ownership. He spent last season racing in GP2 on Campos Racing, where he finished fourth in the championship after winning three races in the season. His 2015 season in GP2 proved to be a massive improvement from the year prior, where he had finished 15th in the championship and still hadn’t had a single win in his GP2 career.
Haryanto showed that he had potential talent in motor racing, but he also had another important element: financial backing. This has become increasingly important within motorsport, in order to kick start your career. Financial backing is a largely important aspect to Manor Racing, given their financial history. It was reported earlier in the year that Haryanto had received a large financial commitment from the Indonesian government to help him to get a 2016 seat in Formula One.
“We are delighted to announce Rio as our second race driver for 2016,” Stephen Fitzpatrick, the owner of Manor Racing, told the press. “Rio’s been racing since he first got into a kart at six years old. He’s tenacious on and off the track and made a big impression on last year’s GP2 battle. Rio’s huge following in Indonesia is great for the team and for F1. They are keen to see him on the grid and we’re confident that we’ll see him enjoying some exciting battles in the year ahead.”
The Indonesian will make history in Formula One, becoming the first Formula One driver to represent his country. Haryanto is optimistic about the team’s increased performance in 2016 and is looking forward to his debut at the season opener in Australia.
“Manor Racing is a team with an exciting vision and ambitious plans,” said Rio 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.”
Recent reports suggested that the second seat on the team will be shared between Alexander Rossi and Will Stevens. However, this doesn’t appear to be the case at the moment. However, as we saw when Rossi took over Roberto Merhi’s seat last season, it is still a possibility that Haryanto could be swapped later in the season. At this time, he is set to participate in pre-season testing, which begins next week, and he will be making his Formula One debut in Australia.
