17°c Overcast
14°c Cloudy periods
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
F1 team Marussia ends contract with Juiz Razia, selects Jules Bianchi new driver
BARCELONA, Spain - One day after thinking his dream to race in Formula One would have to wait at least another year, Jules Bianchi was hired as Marussia's second race driver Friday after the Russian team rescinded its contract with Luiz Razia.
Just the day before, Bianchi was in the running for a spot with Force India until it chose former driver Adrian Sutil instead.
Marussia selected the 23-year-old French pilot to join Max Chilton as the team's drivers for the upcoming season.
"Jules is a proven talent who is highly regarded within the paddock. He has been on a clear trajectory toward Formula One and has achieved some impressive performances through the various feeder formulae," team principal John Booth said.
Marussia had signed Razia to take over for Timo Glock last month.
Razia, also a newcomer to F1, drove for Marussia in the first set of preseason tests in Jerez, but he did not take the wheel at either test in Barcelona.
Razia's seat was reportedly conditioned on sponsorship deals for the team that never materialized.
"We have found ourselves in a situation where we have had to terminate our contract with Luiz Razia," Booth said. "Having made clear the basis on which we must operate in 2013, and given the steps we had taken to put that new structure in place, we had no alternative but to remain true to the principles which we had identified as being key to securing our long-term future."
Bianchi will get two days of preseason testing at Barcelona's Catalunya Circuit before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 17.
Bianchi was Force India's reserve driver last season after being part of Ferrari's driver academy and racing in the GP2 series the previous two years. He is the nephew of former F1 driver Lucien Bianchi.
"I am thrilled to have secured a race seat with the Marussia team," Bianchi said. "Racing in Formula 1 this season has been my goal over the winter and after evaluating a number of options I am very excited to have this opportunity to demonstrate that I am ready for this next step in my racing career."
Marussia, formerly Virgin Racing, didn't score a point last season.
More Auto Racing
- Back to Top
- Return to Auto Racing
More Auto Racing
(1 of 18 articles for today)
Kyle Busch dominates again at Charlotte, racing to 6th Nationwide Series victory of season
4:39 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Auto Racing
- Patrick feels for naked celeb Andrews
- F1 leader Sebastian Vettel under pressure to win Monaco pole with Kimi Raikkonen lurking
- Rosberg takes pole position for Monaco GP ahead of Mercedes teammate Hamilton
- Montoya had victory in sight at Richmond when a late caution added to season-long woes
- Despite big crashes, Sergio Perez says aggression is the only way to tackle Monaco GP
- Denny Hamlin takes Coca-Cola 600 pole with record qualifying lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- NASCAR goes to group qualifying for Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma and Watkins Glen
- Sergio Perez clears the air with McLaren teammate Jenson Button after Bahrain GP crashes
- More misery for struggling McLaren after frustrating opening day of practice at Spanish GP
- Rosberg will be spurred by Bahrain slump when he starts Spanish GP in pole ahead of Hamilton
- Patrick feels for naked celeb Andrews
- Jimmie Johnson gets record All-Star race win then shrugs off his haters
- Jimmie Johnson uses fast last pit stop for record 4th Sprint All-Star win
- Michel Jourdain Jr. lone driver to fail to make Indy 500 field during Bump Day
- IN THE PITS: AJ Allmendinger doesn't question his 2nd chance with Roger Penske
- Young American racing stars quickly put cars in Indianapolis 500 field on Bump Day
- IndyCar penalizes Ganassi, Rahal teams for rules violations
- Denny Hamlin takes Coca-Cola 600 pole with record qualifying lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Race track owner revs mouth
- Indianapolis 500 will start with full 33-car field after 1st 9 drivers qualify
- Perfect conditions help NASCAR drivers reach upward of 214 mph during tire test at Indy
- This story starting to get old
- Hot-heads Stewart and Kurt Busch get physical in wild green-white-checker finish at Richmond
- Patrick feels for naked celeb Andrews
- American Ryan Hunter-Reay wins pole position for IndyCar's Sao Paulo 300
- Jennifer Jo Cobb feels 'in danger' racing against Mike Harmon Friday night after his arrest
- Neel Jani takes ALMS pole at Long Beach for Rebellion Racing
- Police arrest 2 Richard Childress Racing crew members following post-race brawl at track
- NASCAR suspends RCR crew members for fighting with Nelson Piquet Jr. after Richmond race
- No telling if NASCAR will fine Ryan Newman for comments after crash at Talladega
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.