Photo: Renault Sport/DPPI
Oliver Rowland will remain in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup this year having signed with the Manor MP Motorsport team.
The 20-year-old Englishman – winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2011 – retains the support of the Racing Steps Foundation for what will be his third year in Formula Renault 2.0 after finishing runner-up in the UK series in 2011 and third in the Eurocup in 2012 behind champion Stoffel Vandoorne and second-placed Daniil Kvyat, winning the final race of the season in Barcelona.
While both of those campaigns came with the Fortec team, he will now join up with the Dutch-based Manor MP team for 2013. He will live in the Netherlands for the duration of the season and be employed by the team as a junior engineer.
Rowland is the first driver to be announced by Manor MP for the coming season, and will test the new generation FR2.0 car at the first pre-season test at Motorland at the end of February. Manor have a history of success in FR2.0 in the UK while MP will enter the GP2 Series for the first time this year. Jordan King was the merged team’s highest-placed driver in the 2012 Eurocup, in 13th overall.
Rowland will go up against fellow RSF driver Jake Dennis, who takes his place at Fortec having won the FR2.0 NEC title last year as well as succeeding Rowland as the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner.