Marussia keep hold of Bianchi for 2014

Ferrari academy driver Jules Bianchi will remain with the Marussia team for 2014.

The Marussia F1 team had been desperate to keep hold of the 24-year-old Frenchman after Bianchi had impressed during his debut season in Formula One.

During the winter Bianchi had been in line for a seat at Force India, but eventually missed out to Adrian Sutil.

It was only following GP2 runner-up Luiz Razia losing his seat at Marussia due to financial issues that opened the door for Bianchi this season.

Bianchi has impressed, despite the uncompetitive Marussia failing to break into the mid-pack teams and continuing to run at the back of grid alongside Caterham.

It had been rumoured that Ferrari would have preferred to have seen their young protégé move up the grid and Sauber had been linked as a possible destination. But they seem set on Russian youngster Sergey Sirotkin due to his connections with Sauber’s new Russian partners, whilst Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez is also important due to his connections with sponsor Telmex.

There appears to also be limited chances elsewhere on the grid, so Ferrari’s young talent will remain with Marussia, who coincidentally switch from Cosworth to Ferrari engines next season.

?I am very happy to be able to confirm that I will stay with the Marussia F1 Team in 2014, I couldn?t have wished for a more supportive environment in which to make my F1 debut and from the very beginning I have always felt completely at home with the team.’ said Bianchi to formula1.com.

?We started the season very well and while the challenge has increased as the season has developed, we have learned important lessons together that will place us in a much stronger position next year when there are a lot of changes for the sport and the team to get used to. I am very excited to be part of the team as we all enter this new era of F1 and I look forward to achieving some rewarding performances together.?