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F1 US GP: Jordan King to make FP1 bow in Austin

Jordan King is to make his first track appearance during an F1 race weekend at the United States Grand Prix with an FP1 outing for Manor Racing.

The GP2 race winner has enjoyed a handful of test outings with Manor Racing in 2016, but his FP1 shot at the Circuit of the Americas will be the first time he has driven the MRT05 during a race weekend.

It is a chance King is relishing as he looks to bolster his chances of stepping up to F1 full-time with the team next season.

"I'd like to thank the team for making this possible. It's another big step in the right direction for me, after two really positive tests in the MRT05 which paved the way for this opportunity.

"It's a dream come true, but at the same time I have a job to do in the car on Friday and I want to make sure I give the team plenty of quality feedback and data to help with their USGP challenge."

"I'll be exploring the balance of the car and correlating that with the team's simulation work. There'll be some new components to evaluate, along with the tyre specifications for this event. I'll also be learning the circuit and getting up to speed with the car, which has been developed quite a bit since I last drove it at Silverstone. I can't wait!"

King's FP1 chance comes as Manor looks towards drivers for the 2017 season amidst rumours both Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon are likely to be snapped up by Force India and Renault respectively.

Zdroj: crash.net