Merhi quits FR3.5 campaign

Manor Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi has called time on his Formula Renault 3.5 campaign with Pons Racing with three rounds of the series remaining.

The Spaniard committed to a dual program this year out of loyalty to Pons, which put together a sponsorship deal before he landed his F1 seat to enable him to race in FR3.5. His initial plan was to only miss the Monaco round that clashed with the grand prix, although he also had to miss Silverstone when the date for that was moved to clash with last weekend's Italian GP.

Pons announced on Thursday that Merhi has "decided to stop his Formula Renault 3.5 program due to the clashing commitments in the Formula 1 world championship," and his seat has been taken by GP2 veteran Rene Binder for this weekend's Nurburgring round.

"Having the chance to count on Rene is a privilege, no doubt about it," said Pons team manager Emilio de Villota Jr. "Rene has been racing in GP2 for the last three and a half years and I think he'll provide us with the experience we need to continue our progression. I can't wait to work with him at a challenging track like the Nurburgring this weekend."

Pons will have an all-new driver lineup this weekend, as Japanese EuroFormula Open graduate Yu Kanamaru will replace Philo Paz Patric Armand. The Indonesian has reportedly been ruled out of travelling to Germany because of visa difficulties.

Originally on Autosport.com