American F1 hopeful Alexander Rossi has joined Marussia F1 Team as its official reserve driver with immediate effect.
The 22-year-old had previously worked with Caterham, but left its development driver programme when the team came under new ownership. Having also left its GP2 team, he enjoyed a one race with Campos in Germany before making way for regular driver Kimiya Sato for the Hungarian rounds this weekend.
However, he has kept himself firmly in contention for an F1 seat in the future – potentially with Haas Formula in 2016 – by joining Marussia, and was delighted to confirm the news today.
“Today is a good day and next step in my Formula 1 career,” Rossi said. “Since my initial discussions with the Marussia F1 Team management, I’ve felt right at home. I’m looking forward to working with the team in Hungary and building for the rest of the season.
“The timing of my affiliation with the team is perfect, especially beginning in Hungary before the summer break. My goal is Formula 1, and I’m delighted to be immersed into the team as official reserve driver, where I have the opportunity to prepare for this next step, with plans to drive in Free Practice 1 this season.”
Marussia has been one of the breakthrough teams in 2014, scoring its first ever points in F1 through Jules Bianchi at Monaco earlier this year. For Rossi, it is the right move to make.
“Marussia is in an exciting place right now and the progress at the team is clear for all to see,” he said. “I’m thrilled that now I have the chance to be part of that journey, to progress and play a useful role in the development of the team. I want to thank Marussia F1 Team for the opportunity this season.”
Team principal John Booth is equally as enthusiastic about the move, believing that tying Marussia to the American market will be very beneficial.
“We are very pleased to welcome Alexander to the Marussia F1 Team in the role of Official Reserve Driver,” he said. “He is a proven talent whom we have observed in GP2 and we have also been impressed by his performances during Friday morning free practice sessions over the past two seasons.
“The US is an exciting market for the sport and Alexander has a great deal of support there, so it is nice to develop new links to that audience. Alexander will be an integral part of the Team, immersing himself in our engineering activity so that he is fully prepared should he ever be required to deputise for one of the race drivers.”
After a difficult period, the next chapter in Rossi’s career looks set with Marussia. After seven years without an American driver in Formula 1, we could be a step closer to seeing the star spangled banner represented on the grid once again.
