X (Twitter)X (Twitter)
FacebookFacebook
WhatsappWhatsapp

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.”

Click here for Eric Silbermann's Hungarian Grumpy Preview

Click here for Thursday's gallery from the Hungarian Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Hamilton Sr’s bold vision for Ferrari: ‘We will rebuild this team’

Anthony Hamilton, the father of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, has made a…

3 hours ago

Ralf Schumacher slams Marko’s harsh take on Hadjar’s tears

Ralf Schumacher has come to the defense of Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar after the…

5 hours ago

Brown lights a fuse, bets on Verstappen joining Mercedes in 2026!

The 2025 Formula 1 season has barely begun, but McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has…

6 hours ago

Sauber chasing more points in China: ‘We know where to improve’

Sauber enters the Chinese Grand Prix, the first Sprint event of the 2025 Formula 1…

8 hours ago

Freight delays hit F1 teams’ Chinese GP preparations

The 2025 F1 season’s rapid-fire start, with back-to-back races in Australia and China, nearly descended…

9 hours ago

Fisichella's lights-to-flag third and final F1 win

The Renault team managed by Flavio Briatore rejoiced in Malaysia on this day in 2006…

10 hours ago