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FV8 3.5 driver Binder gets ex-F1 man Merhi's Rapax Jerez F2 seat

Rene Binder will replace former Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi at the Rapax Formula 2 team ahead of this weekend's round at Jerez

Binder, who is currently fifth in the Formula V8 3.5 championship with the Lotus squad, will race alongside Louis Deletraz during F2's standalone weekend at the Spanish circuit.

The Austrian previously raced in the second-tier series between 2012 and 2016 when it was known as GP2, and scored a best finish of sixth in the Monaco sprint race in 2013.

Binder is expected to make his 74th start in the category this weekend, although it will be his first since it was rebranded F2 ahead of 2017.

Autosport understands the arrangement for Binder to race with Rapax is in place for the Jerez round only, with the team set to take a view on its line-up for the Abu Dhabi season finale after the weekend.

Merhi drove in 14 grands prix races for the Manor squad in 2015 and took part in the two most recent rounds of the F2 season for Rapax - at Spa and Monza - in addition to an appearance for Campos Racing at Barcelona during the early part of the year.

The Spanish driver is 17th in the points standings.

He scored a best finish of fifth in the Monza sprint race and recorded a double points finish at Spa.

Binder will be Rapax's fifth different driver of 2017.

Merhi took the seat in place of Sergio Canamasas, who in turn had been drafted in to replaced Johnny Cecotto Jr - who took part in the opening four rounds of the season before running into budget problems - for the events in Austria, Britain and Hungary.

McLaren F1 junior Nyck de Vries also started the season with the team before he joined Racing Engineering in a seat swap with Deletraz prior to the Spa round in August.

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