Luiz Razia has been confirmed as the second member of Marussia's driver line-up for 2013, with the Brazilian stepping up to secure the vacancy left by DTM-bound Timo Glock. The 23-year-old, who graduates from the GP2 Series, first enjoyed a reserve spell with the team when it was known as Virgin Racing back in 2010.
Having finished runner-up in the GP2 category last year, Razia was one of the candidates for the initially spare seat alongside Glock. His chances appeared to be over once Max Chilton had signed, but the driver reshuffle has paved the way for his promotion.
"The past two seasons in GP2 have been all about proving that I have what it takes and that I’m ready," explained Razia, who picked up a total of four victories and a further five podium finishes in the feeder series last year. "This coming season will be all about rewarding the faith the Team have shown in me. I am looking forward to beginning that process in Jerez where we are testing the MR02 for the first time.
"I am also looking forward to the first race in Melbourne and I’m excited to be racing alongside Max, who I competed ‘against’ last season. This is an important year for the Marussia F1 Team in terms of maintaining the momentum from a very positive 2012 season. I look forward to making a valuable contribution to that."
Marussia Team Principal John Booth believes that although his team will be running an all-rookie pairing this season, both men have an 'incredibly ambitious' attitude.
"He is a very quick and tenacious driver who battled hard to the runner-up spot last year," Booth said of his latest signing. "Together with Max, we are fielding a young but incredibly ambitious pairing and we look forward to seeing what they can achieve."
Razia will get his first taste of Marussia's new MR02 chassis on Wednesday morning, with the team managing to recover from the rear-right suspension failure suffered by Chilton on the first day of testing.
Razia has tested for Virgin Racing (Marussia), Team Lotus (Caterham), Toro Rosso and Force India during dedicated Formula 1 test days over the past three seasons.
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