Chilton takes Marussia drive

British driver Max Chilton will replace Charles Pic at Marussia after the Frenchman decided to leave the team for Caterham.

The news means that alongside Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta, British Formula One fans will have four British drivers to support in Formula One for the first time since 2008 when Button, Hamilton, Anthony Davidson and David Coulthard all drove.

It caps off a rapid rise to the top for Chilton, who was only handed the teams reserves driver position in October after obtaining his super-licence in July!

The 21-year-old has previously impressed during his GP2 season, where he won two races and finished fourth in the standings for the Marussia-backed Carlin team.

Before his move into GP2 he had also won races in British Formula Three and T Cars [Touring Car racing for drivers between the ages of 14 and 17].

“It’s hard to put into words how I’m feeling today, with the announcement that I will be racing for the Marussia F1 Team in 2013, It comes at the end of what has been a fantastic year for me, and those steps - my GP2 pole positions and wins, my performances in the F1 young driver test and in FP1 at Abu Dhabi - have given everyone the confidence in my ability to compete at the highest level of motor sport. Chilton told formula1.com.

“I am very fortunate to have spent the last six races with the Marussia F1 Team as reserve driver, which means that instead of a standing start, I am already up to speed and at ease with the people, the culture, the systems and of course, the 2012 package. During the period since the Japanese Grand Prix, I have watched at very close quarters the incredible commitment and determination to succeed that saw everyone in the team pushing until the very last race. I feel very lucky to be able to embark on my F1 racing career with this group of people.”

The announcement leaves Force India and Caterham as the only teams to have not confirmed their driver line-up for 2013.