F1: Roberto Merhi confirmed as Manor's second driver

Spaniard Roberto Merhi has been confirmed as the newly reformed Manor team’s second driver for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. The team formally known as Marussia which went into administration at the end of October and missed the final three races of last season, has been rescued by fresh investment just in time to take the grid in Melbourne. [caption id=“attachment_2146059” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Roberto Merhi Facebook[/caption] “We’re delighted to announce that Roberto Merhi will be racing alongside Will Stevens,” the team announced via their official Twitter handle. Merhi becomes the third Spaniard on the grid for the 2015 season alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who will miss out in Melbourne due to concussion suffered in a crash in testing, and another rookie in Carlos Sainz Junior. “I am happy because they have bet on me purely for my talent,” the 23-year-old told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope. However, Merhi cast doubt over whether financial considerations would put his place in the car at risk for the rest of the season. “Right now we don’t know, we will see how the first race goes and see after that. “I am more concentrated on running this week and making my debut, I haven’t stopped to see what will come after that. “At the moment I am their driver and we’ll see if I can be so for the whole year. It is a team that doesn’t have a big budget so perhaps they will need a driver that pays. “I can’t offer anything because I don’t have sponsors.” Merhi is a former Formula Three Euro Series champion and also tested for the now defunct Caterham at the Italian Grand Prix last season. Manor also confirmed that Jordan King, son of former CEO of British supermarket giant Sainsbury Justin King, who is part of the financial rescue package for the team, will be their development driver. AFP