By alley - Apr 13, 2015, 6:01 AM ET

GP2: Stanaway gets Status seat for Bahrain

GP2 newcomer Status Grand Prix has signed Richie Stanaway to race for it in the season opener in Bahrain this weekend.

The 23-year-old, a winner with the team in GP3, tested for Status during pre-season, topping the final day of the first test in Abu Dhabi. Stanaway's deal is currently only for the first round, but Status is hopeful that it can help the Kiwi put a full-season deal together.

Team boss Teddy Yip said: "There is no question about Richie's talent and I'm convinced that with the right resources he could be a future world champion. I sincerely hope we can find a way for Richie to contest the full GP2 season with Status Grand Prix.

"Since completing the post-season test in Abu Dhabi for us last year Richie has been our GP2 driver of choice and we have been working closely with his supporters to make this happen."

Stanaway, who is also racing for Aston Martin in the World Endurance Championship this year, added: "My aim remains to reach Formula 1 and being competitive in GP2 brings me one step closer to achieving that. If I'm able to drive in both GP2 and WEC, which I think really complement each other, it would be the best year of my career so far.

"Having completed all of the GP2 pre-season tests with the team, I know how strong we can be. We seem to work on the same frequency and I'm sure there is no limit to what we can achieve as a team given the chance."

This weekend's GP2 opener will not be the first time that Stanaway and Status's other driver Marlon Stockinger have teamed up on a race weekend. The pair joined forces at the Lotus-Charouz team in Formula Renault 3.5 for two rounds last year, with Stanaway appearing as a stand-in for the injured Matthieu Vaxiviere at Spa and Moscow.

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