Will Stevens joins Marussia as reserve

The Marussia F1 Team announced that it has signed young British hopeful Will Stevens to its 2014 roster of Official Reserve Drivers, alongside Alexander Rossi.

23 year old Will, currently competing in the World Series Formula Renault 3.5 Championship, joins the Team with effect from this weekend’s 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. As part of his role, he will take part in a number of Free Practice 1 sessions during the remainder of the season.

Plans for Marussia to run Stevens in FP1 at Suzuka fell through at the last minute when the Briton’s superlicence paperwork failed to come through in time.

Will began his motorsport career in karts aged 11 and was widely recognised as one of the top karters in the world by 2008. The following year he transitioned to cars in Formula Renault 2.0 and spent three years in that category, notching up race wins in both the UK Series and the Eurocup. He then made the big step up to World Series by Renault in 2012.

Will kicked off the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 series with a commanding win in Monza and continues to challenge for wins in the formula that saw Kevin Magnussen crowned champion last season.

Prior to this role, Will has completed two F1 tests with Caterham - the 2013 Young Driver Test and the Silverstone Test this summer. Together with Alexander, Will is on hand throughout the remainder of the season to deputise for either race driver in the event that they are unable to compete.

John Booth

“Will is a driver we have been watching since he arrived in Formula Renault. We have admired his ability to learn quickly and compete in the thick of the action, so we are very pleased to add him to our roster of Official Reserve Drivers, which is now looking very strong indeed. It is great to be able to take such promising talents as Will and Alexander under our wing and help them progress to the next level. We look forward to seeing Will perform in the MR03, when I am sure he will demonstrate some further signs of his obvious potential.”

Will Stevens

“I’m really thrilled to be given this opportunity by the Marussia F1 Team. They are a great team, with enormous potential, and I’m so happy to be joining them at this exciting time in their development. Off the back of my F1 tests with Caterham, I can’t wait to get my first taste of the MR03. I’m looking forward to rewarding their faith in me and to making a positive contribution to our progress in the 2014 championship, and beyond.”