Van Lagen and Philippe replaced

Yelmer Buurman will stand in for the injured Richard Philippe at Fortec, as the Frenchman is still recovering from a broken hand sustained in an accident in round one at Monza.

In a more permanent change, fellow F3 Euroseries runner Michael Herck has been drafted in to replace the out of favour Jaap van Lagen at Comtec. 

"We heard from Richard on Tuesday that it wasn't going to be possible for him to drive," said Fortec boss Richard Dutton.

"He hasn't recovered enough movement in his fingers to allow him to change gear comfortably, but hopefully he should recover in time for Monaco." 

Dutchman Buurman, who is driving for Manor Motorsport in this year's F3 Euro Series, is well known to Fortec after winning for the team in British F3 last season.

"I've driven the car for the first time this morning and it's a big change from F3," said Buurman. "However, I know my engineer and I have a good teammate to compare data with, so I'm hoping to be close to the pace by the second race."

Eighteen-year-old Herck moves to Comtec from Bas Leinders' F3 team.

"I think with Bas Leinders it was impossible to compete successfully against the big F3 teams like ASM, and Manor," said Michael. "As it's my first time in the car, my objective this weekend is just to learn."