With speculation that Rio Haryanto is on the verge of a deal with Manor Racing, his Formula 1 plans will be revealed at a press conference on Thursday.
For several months, Haryanto and Manor have been in talk for a race deal, with the Indonesian government agreeing to financially support him up to £10 million in case he could not reach the set sponsorship targets. With his manager Piers Hunnisett, the Indonesian driver has been working hard to put together a support package that would be enough to land him the race seat he desires.
Haryanto’s backers, Indonesian oil company Pertamina, are ready to reveal their plans for the 2016 season after inviting journalists to their headquarters in Jakarta for an event on Thursday afternoon. The announcement has arisen after reports that Manor’s 2015 driver Will Stevens is now out of the running, while Alexander Rossi‘s hopes look to be hanging by a thread .
With Manor announcing that Pascal Wehrlein will drive one of its cars this season, the British team would ideally want its second driver in place before pre-season testing begins in Barcelona on Monday, with the car on course to make its début straight-away next week.
