Marussia officially announced Chilton’s place with the team at the Autosport
Show at the NEC arena in Birmingham, after the sport’s governing body, the
FIA, included the Briton as the team’s second driver on the entry list
published on Friday even though it had not been publicly announced.
Chilton comes with significant financial backing, in part thanks to his father
Grahame, vice-chairman of insurance giant Aon and head of Carlin, a breeding
ground for Formula One talent in the lower formulas.
But the reliability shown in 2013 was enough for Chilton, who was educated at
Ardingly College, Sussex, to retain his seat.
John Booth, team principal, said: “Max had an impressive debut season last
year and, of course, achieved a new rookie record for finishing all 19
races.”
He said that in light of the sweeping changes to the regulations for 2014, it
was “highly beneficial” to retain the same driver line-up as 2013.
Chilton becomes the third British driver on the grid alongside McLaren’s
Jenson Button and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, with Scot Paul di Resta losing
his seat at Force India. It leaves only Caterham to announce their driver
line up for 2014.