Formula Renault 3.5 championship leader Oliver Rowland will make his GP2 debut at his home round at Silverstone this weekend alongside Daniel de Jong at MP Motorsport.
Rowland replaces Sergio Canamasas, who also missed the previous round in Austria, in the one-off deal.
This will be the Racing Steps Foundation-backed driver’s first experience in a GP2 car but he is hoping to make the most of his opportunity by picking up a strong result.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to race in front of my home crowd,” said Rowland. “I can’t thank MP Motorsport and the RSF enough for setting this up for me.
“I raced with the team in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup championship in 2013 and built up a really strong relationship with them.
“Regrettably after all the hard work we put in, we missed out on the title that year by 16 points. So it would be good if I could repay them and the RSF for the belief that they continue to show in me with a strong result this weekend.”
British Racing Drivers’ Club president Derek Warwick welcomed the news saying he is excited to see what Oliver can do in front of a home crowd.
“I’m delighted that the RSF and MP Motorsport have been able to pull off this last minute deal,” said Warwick. “I’m a big supporter of Oliver’s and welcome the chance for him to show the British fans what he’s capable of.
“We’re expecting a record crowd of 140,000 this weekend, so to have another British racing driver on the grid is terrific news for the BRDC and Silverstone.
“It goes without saying that all the British drivers will be doing their level best to give the crowd plenty to cheer about and that they in turn will get behind the drivers to give them that extra lift that only the British fans can.”
Fellow Brit and GP2 race winner Jon Lancaster will also be appearing at Silverstone. He returns to former team Hilmer Motorsport to form an all British line-up with Nick Yelloly.
