Max Chilton gets Abu Dhabi GP practice outing with Marussia

The Briton, who was signed as a reserve driver for the team earlier this season, will make his debut in a competitive race weekend environment at the Yas Marina circuit next week.

Chilton will replace Charles Pic during the session, the Frenchman returning to the cockpit for second practice.

Chilton drove Marussia's car already in the young driver test at Silverstone in July.

"I feel very proud to be entrusted with this opportunity by the Marussia team," said Chilton. "This is the next step in the process of proving my potential and another important notch for me personally in terms of my ultimate goals.

"As for next Friday, the 90 minutes of FP1 will fly by so quickly that it's a real bonus to be testing the car at a circuit I know well.

"It means I can get up to speed straight away and focus on delivering some proper set-up and aero evaluation data for the Team to help during the rest of the weekend.

"My thanks to everyone at the Marussia F1 team for the faith they have shown in me so far and I will now concentrate my efforts on keeping my excitement in check and ensuring I make the most of this fantastic opportunity!"