It has today been confirmed by the Manor Racing Team that they have terminated Rio Haryanto’s contract, after he was unable to provide the funding required to keep his seat at the Banbury based squad. The team have however offered the Indonesian a Reserve Driver role for the rest of the season to allow him the chance to continue with his Formula 1 aspirations.
The Indonesian driver lost his state-owned Oil Company funding after Round 11 of the season in Hungary, but although he was kept on by the Banbury based squad for the final race before the summer break in Germany, he and his management team have been unable to secure further sponsorship to keep his seat for the remaining races.
Manor Racing Director Dave Ryan, explained the situation.
“Rio has been a much-valued member of our team since January, when we signed a contract with him for this season. Some time ago, his management indicated that they were experiencing difficulties honouring the obligations of that contract beyond the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“Rio’s team have worked tirelessly to try to resolve that situation with his Indonesian backers and we have supported those efforts as much as possible, including allowing Rio to race in Germany. Unfortunately we reached a point where, in the best interests of the team, we were forced to explore other options for the remainder of the season.
“We are very pleased to continue our support for Rio’s Formula 1 ambitions, by offering him a Reserve Driver role for the rest of the current season. We very much hope that he will accept that offer.”
The Manor Racing team are expected to announce Haryanto’s replacement, and new team-mate of Pascal Wehrlein shortly, but it is believed to be current Renault Sport F1 Team Reserve Driver Esteban Ocon.