Fabio Leimer will make his first FP1 appearance for Manor at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.
The 2013 GP2 champion joined the team as reserve driver ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, but has yet to drive the 2015 car as Manor has not taken part in any in-season testing. Leimer will now run on Friday morning at the Hungaroring - taking over Roberto Merhi's car - with the aim of being fully acclimatised with the car in case he is required to step in for a race driver at any stage.
“On this most difficult of weekends for the team, I am very appreciative of their decision to continue with my planned FP1 session," Leimer said. "I’m looking forward to the opportunity and I hope I can make a positive contribution to the engineering programme for the weekend.”
Team principal John Booth says the run will provide Manor with the opportunity to evaluate Leimer's potential even further.
“Running Fabio in a Free Practice 1 session is a planned opportunity that we have all been working towards for some time," Booth said. "We have enjoyed welcoming him into the team over the past few races and it will be interesting to gain his feedback on the car and assess his performance.”
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