Alexander Rossi hopes his five appearances for Manor this season will help him attract new backers for 2016.

The American made his first F1 start at the Singapore Grand Prix and also raced in Japan before returning to GP2 in Russia last weekend. Rossi will also race in his home race in Austin as well as in Mexico and Brazil before sitting out the last round due to another clash with GP2.

Hoping to secure a full-time F1 seat next season, Rossi says he is focused on capitalising on the added exposure he will get when driving for Manor in order to convince new partners to back him.

“I don’t think it’s ever easy, but obviously being in the show helps a lot,” Rossi told F1i. “So I just think we need to now focus on maximising these five races as much as we can both on track and off track and see what comes of it for 2016.”

And Rossi says there are no unrealistic expectations being placed upon him ahead of his home race, with Manor last in the constructors’ championship.

"I think a lot of people understand the sport and understand that sometimes you're not in a position to be anywhere near the front. That's just the way Formula One works sometimes. I don't think anyone's expecting me to go there and be able to get on the podium or in the points or anything."

Click here for analysis of the technical updates on display at the Russian Grand Prix

Click here for a lighter look at some of the scenes from the Russian Grand Prix

Click here for the F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery

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

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

4 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

5 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

6 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

7 hours ago

Hamilton delighted with ‘consistently strong day’ in Vegas

Lewis Hamilton was particularly happy with his opening day of running at the Las Vegas…

8 hours ago

Verstappen stuck with 'draggy' rear wing for Vegas

Red Bull fears that its prospects for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix - which…

9 hours ago