American Alexander Rossi signs for F1 team Manor Marussia

Asked by AUTOSPORT what the drive could mean for his future, he replied: “The big thing I’ve been missing for the last three years in my F1 career is racing”.

“Obviously I’ve had quite a bit of history with this team, in ’14, so we’ve always had good communication over the beginning of this year”. At least I did 12 races, I think for a [young] driver in Formula One that is difficult.

The team have confirmed that the driver will also race for them in Japan, Mexico, Brazil and the United States.

Rossi will see out his GP2 commitments with Racing Engineering in Sochi and Abu Dhabi, where Merhi will return to the Manor fold, as well as the non-F1-supporting Bahrain round.

He will then race in four more Grands Prix for Marussia after replacing Spaniard Roberto Merhi, and the talented flyer confessed that, despite the fact it has all happened so quickly, he is determined to make his mark.

Rossi will be the first American to pilot an F1 car since Scott Speed drove in the 2007 European Grand Prix.

Merhi’s replacement Rossi had advocated himself as a strong contender for America’s new F1 team Haas, but was effectively ruled out when it declared it wanted experienced drivers. They exemplify passion and true strength of character, and their comeback this season is extraordinary.

At Manor, Rossi will gain valuable experience – but the team is far too weak for Rossi to have any chance of scoring a single championship point.

Manor Marussia have announced that they have signed Alexander Rossi to replace Roberto Merhi for five of the remaining seven races of the Forumla 1 season.

“His current form in the GP2 Series has done much to reinforce his clear potential”, team principal John Booth said of Rossi.

“Signing Alexander is a continuation of our proud record of providing young drivers with the opportunity to showcase their talents”. I know Alexander is very excited about that and we look forward to providing him with the opportunity to show the American public what he can do. 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.