Rio Haryanto will become Indonesia’s first Formula One driver after signing a deal with Manor Racing, the back-of-the-grid team announced on Thursday.
Rio Haryanto will become Indonesia’s first Formula One driver after signing a deal with Manor Racing, the back-of-the-grid team announced on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Haryanto will make his race debut in Australia when the season starts on March 20.
“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,” Haryanto said.
His signing as team mate to German rookie Pascal Wehrlein completes the grid for the 2016 season.
Haryanto, who finished fourth in the GP2 feeder series last season with three race wins, will be the third Southeast Asian driver to compete in Formula One since the championship started in 1950.
The other two were Malaysian Alex Yoong, with Minardi in 2001-2002, and Thailand’s Prince Bira (Birabongse Bhan-udej) in the 1950s.
Haryanto was already the first Indonesian to drive a Formula One car, having tested with Manor’s predecessors Virgin Racing in 2010.
Red Bull braced for slow start Red Bull unveiled a new look for a new era on Wednesday, with a warning that hardly lifted Daniel Ricciardo’s heart as the Australian driver gears up for the start of the Formula One season in Melbourne next month.
“It’s going to be a season of evolution for us,” principal Christian Horner told reporters at the launch of the team’s 2016 livery and Puma-designed apparel.
“It’s probably going to be a season of two halves. The first half is going to be less competitive than the second but we are expecting to make significant progress during the year.”
Ricciardo, who won three races in 2014, suffered last year when his team finished fourth overall with no victories. The driver accepted that the situation would still be difficult.
“I think it’s sensible, rather than getting us excited for nothing,” he said. “If you come out in Melbourne and Christian and everyone is saying ‘it’s awesome and the aerodynamics and everything...’ and then it doesn’t work, it’s demoralising.
“I think it’s realistic that we will need a bit of time to make strong improvements from last year.”
Winners of four drivers’ and constructors’ titles between 2010 and 2013, Red Bull’s relations with Renault frayed badly last year as their engine proved underpowered compared to champions Mercedes and Ferrari.
