The Marussia F1 Team announced that Alexander Rossi will take the place of Max Chilton for this weekends Belgian Grand Prix.

A statement from the Marussia team said that Rossi, who joined the team as a reserve driver last month, will drive for the team while contractual issues with Chilton are sorted out.

“It goes without saying that I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to race in Formula 1 for the first time and I cannot thank the Marussia F1 Team for the faith they are demonstrating in me,” said Rossi

“It’s a very big moment for me and there’s a lot to prepare in a short space of time, but on the other hand I have felt ready for this for quite a while now,” he added

“It is also exciting to be given this opportunity at such a fantastic and historical circuit as Spa-Francorchamps. I can’t wait to drive the MR03 from tomorrow and I hope to reward the team with a solid race weekend.”

The Marussia team boss John Booth had this to say: “Although it was not our intention to offer Alexander the possibility to race this season, in light of the circumstances we are pleased to be providing him with the opportunity to make his Grand Prix debut at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Franchorchamps.”

“Naturally we hope to resume normal service with respect to our established race driver line-up as soon as possible, but for now we wish Alexander well for the weekend ahead and we look forward to seeing him in action,” he added.

It was later revealed by Max Chilton that he relinquished his seat due to financial issues on the team’s side. He released a statement through his PR people saying that he moved aside because Marussia was short of funds which allowed Rossi to pay for the seat.

The statement went on to say that this was a temporary situation and the team hopes to have it resolved before the next race in Monza.