Ex-F1 driver Merhi to replace Boschung at Campos in Austria F2 round
Ex-Manor Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi will make his FIA Formula 2 return this weekend in Austria replacing the injured Ralph Boschung at Campos.
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Boschung has missed the Barcelona, Monaco and Silverstone rounds of this season due to an ongoing issue with his neck.
With Silverstone and Red Bull Ring backed by a week, Campos and Boschung have taken the decision to bench the Swiss race in Austria and replace him with Merhi.
Merhi finished third in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2014 and made his F1 debut in 2015 with the Manor squad alongside Will Stevens, achieving a best result of 12th at Silverstone.
Losing his drive at the end of the year, Merhi returned to the F1 paddock in 2017 in F2 with Campos for a one-off appearance at Barcelona, before completing the campaign with Rapax in three of the last four rounds.
He contested much of 2018 with MP Motorsport, before returning to Campos for the end of the season, finishing third at Abu Dhabi.
Merhi was personally requested by Boschung to sub for him at the Red Bull Ring, which marks the eighth round of the 2022 F2 season.
He tweeted: Happy to announce that I will be back in a Formula 2 car this weekend after four years.
"Last time I was driving in a Formula 2 car was in 2018 in Abu Dhabi where I finished in the podium with Campos Racing.
"I would like to thank Ralph Boschung and Campos."
Boschung began to experience problems with his neck at Imola, though still managed to score a third-place finish in the feature race before he was forced to withdraw from the Barcelona weekend following practice.
In Monaco, Boschung completed practice and qualifying, but was once again forced to pull out of the races. He did the same last weekend at Silverstone.
He currently lies 14th in the standings on 34 points.
Since losing his drive in F1 and his two-season stint in F2, Merhi has raced in the World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series.
He has also undertaken outings in numerous GT series, including GT World Challenge Australia and Super GT in the GT3000, and in S5000 in 2020 with Team BRM - finishing second in the standings
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