Manor Terminates Rio`s F1 Contract, Signs another Frenchman

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Formula One’s Manor Racing decided to terminate Rio Haryanto’s contract on Wednesday, August 10, 2016, after the Indonesian racer failed to meet his obligation set forth in the contract.

However, the Manor Racing team revealed that they had offered Rio a different role in order to Keep Rio’s dream competing in Formula One remains attainable.

“In a bid to keep his [Rio] Formula 1 dream alive, the team has offered Rio a Reserve Driver role for the remaining nine rounds of the 2016 FIA Formula 1 World Championship,” Manor said on its official website Manorf1team.com.

Manor’s racing director Dave Ryan praised Rio for being one of the team’s racers over the last seven months.

“Some time ago, his management indicated that they were experiencing difficulties honoring 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,” Ryan said.

Ryan added that Manor had supported Rio’s efforts as much as possible, including allowing Rio to race in Germany.

“Unfortunately, we reached a point where, in the best interest of the team, we were forced to explore other options for the remainder of the season,” Ryan explained.

According to Ryan, Manor will continue their support for Rio’s Formula 1 ambitions, by offering him a reserve driver role for the rest of the season. Manor later announced that they have signed 19-year old Frenchman Esteban Ocon as Pascal Wehrlein’s teammate.

ANGELINA ANJAR SAWITRI