In Russia and the season-closing race in Abu Dhabi, Roberto Merhi will return, leaving Rossi to concentrate on GP2 where he is lying second in the championship to Belgium’s Stoffel Vandoorne. I’ve been prepared for this opportunity for quite a while now.
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Rossi was previously a reserve driver for the now defunct Caterham team and took part in three practice sessions over the course of the 2013 and 2014 seasons, before joining Manor’s forerunner Marussia towards the end of last year, before they also collapsed.
“But I wasn’t expecting 2015 to be a year where I was racing an F1 car”.
“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”.
“This is a major step in really firmly putting myself on the Formula One map and the radar, so I’m just focusing on doing a good job in these next five races and showing that I am capable of being in Formula One and doing a good job”.
The 23-year-old Californian is uncertain about his prospects of getting a full-time deal next season, even with the addition of an American team run by Gene Haas, but aims to use his five upcoming races to showcase his talents.
His hopes cruelly dashed, Alexander Rossi now has five races in which to prove Gunther Steiner wrong and stake his claim to a place on the 2016 grid.
The American went on to explain his view on the club: “This is a small F1 team that has been through so much”. The Singapore Grand Prix is generally regarded as the toughest race on the calendar for drivers – but if Rossi can complete all 61 laps, it would be a massive victory.
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He was earmarked as a driver for the aborted USF1 project, and Manor considered using him last year to replace Jules Bianchi after his fatal accident but ultimately decided against it. “I always believed I would race in Formula One but there was a period of time when there was a lot of yes and no, yes and no”, he said. “Yes, there are drivers in GP2 and F3, but having a rookie in a new team… that is difficult for both sides”.
