F1: Bianchi Gets Marussia Seat As Razia Dropped

Jules Bianchi is replacing Luiz Razia at Marussia for the 2013 season...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted March 01, 2013 Barcelona (ESP)

Jules Bianchi has landed the unexpected chance to race for Marussia just two days after being told that he didn’t have the Force India seat. (Photo: Marussia)

Jules Bianchi has landed a race seat with Marussia at the expense of Luiz Razia.

The team has terminated its contract with the Brazilian after his sponsors failed to meet their obligations.

Bianchi has landed the unexpected chance just two days after being told that he didn’t have the Force India seat.

“Jules is a proven talent who is highly regarded within the paddock,” said team boss John Booth. “He has been on a clear trajectory towards Formula One and has achieved some impressive performances through the various feeder formulae, notably his 2012 season in Formula Renault 3.5 when he was also Reserve Driver for Force India. He is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and his obvious pedigree put him on the radar for a number of teams over the winter as a driver ready to step up to Formula One.

“We have found ourselves in a situation where we have had to terminate our contract with Luiz Razia. Having made clear the basis on which we must operate in 2013, and given the steps we had taken to put that new structure in place, we had no alternative but to remain true to the principles which we had identified as being key to securing our long-term future.

“We can now focus on the remainder of the testing program and preparing for what looks to be a promising season for our Team. Jules can now look forward to a very swift initiation into the team over the course of the next two days here in Barcelona, when he is expected to run for one and a half days to afford both our drivers some dry running with the latest aero specification.”

Bianchi is the great-nephew of Lucien Bianchi, who competed in 17 Grands Prix between 1960 and 1968. He earned a third-place in Monaco in his final F1 season prior to his death in a testing crash in an Alfa Romeo at Le Mans in March 1969. He was also a works Ford driver at Le Mans, and appeared at Indy in 1967, although he was bumped from the field while racing in Europe on the second qualifying weekend.

“I am thrilled to have secured a race seat with the Marussia F1 Team,” said Jules Bianchi. “Racing in Formula One this season has been my goal over the winter and after evaluating a number of options, I am very excited to have this opportunity to demonstrate that I am ready for this next step in my racing career.

“I am also very grateful to the Ferrari Driver Academy that has always supported me and has given me the possibility to mature as a racing driver, enabling me to be fully prepared for this new exciting challenge. The next two weeks of preparation for the season will be incredibly busy, but I am ready to get started tomorrow with my first day in the MR02.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 28th season as a racing journalist in 2012. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.