Official: Fabio Leimer becomes reserve driver for Manor

The two most recent champions of the promotional formula will now be integrated into an F1 team since Jolyon Palmer holds the same position at Lotus.

For Leimer, this nomination comes as a light after a very difficult period. Indeed, after his title, he had not managed to break through in F1. He then turned to endurance racing where he was able to compete in LMP1 with the Swiss team Rebellion. For the 2015 season, he had planned to return to single-seater racing by participating in the Japanese Super Formula championship.

Nevertheless, his plans fell through when his Japanese intermediary defaulted and did not make the scheduled payment with Team Mugen. He had then stated: “We had started the Japan project after finding a representative in Japan. We told him from the start that the entire budget had to go through him. Unfortunately, his promises and our trust in him were not justified. Once again, we have to learn the very hard way that you cannot trust anyone.”

He has therefore managed to reverse the trend by reaching an agreement with Manor. He will thus be able to expand his knowledge of F1, which currently consists of a single test with Lotus for Pirelli as a reward for his GP2 title, as he will be able to participate in several Friday morning sessions, as the driver states: « In particular, I am very excited to have the chance to drive the car in several Friday morning sessions, but I am also looking forward to spending time at the track with the team, contributing with my observations and experience for the setups and also learning about the team and how F1 operates. »

But it is not excluded that he may also make his Grand Prix debut during the season. Indeed, when Roberto Merhi was recruited as a main driver by the team, it was announced that the agreement was “for the first races of the season.” This prompted the Spanish driver to participate in the first two Formula Renault 3.5 meetings to maintain a racing program in case his situation in F1 ends.

John Booth, the team director, leaves the door open for a possible start for the Swiss driver: « Fabio will join us for a number of races for the rest of the season, contributing in meetings with engineers and being available if one of the drivers is unable to race at some point. It’s therefore very important that he feels comfortable in the car. We plan to have Fabio run in several Friday morning sessions this season to better assess his potential. »

For a team with a limited budget, a lack of funding can be a valid reason for not being able to race…

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr