Bianchi 'thrilled' to secure seat with Marussia

© Sahara Force India F1 Team

Jules Bianchi says he is "thrilled" to have finally secured a seat on the Formula 1 grid after coming so close with Force India.

The 23-year-old lost out to Adrian Sutil earlier this week which looked like the end of the road for his 2013 ambitions.

However a contractual disupute at Marussia with Luiz Razia has opened up the door for the Frenchman, who will now replace the Brazilian.

"I am thrilled to have secured a race seat with the Marussia F1 Team," he said. "Racing in Formula 1 this season has been my goal over the winter and after evaluating a number of options I am very excited to have this opportunity to demonstrate that I am ready for this next step in my racing career.

"I am also very grateful to the Ferrari Driver Academy that has always supported me and has given me the possibility to mature as a racing driver enabling me to be fully prepared for this new exciting challenge."

He is now looking forward to getting down to business. He will drive the Marussia MR02 on Saturday and Sunday.

"The next two weeks of preparation for the season will be incredibly busy but I am ready to get started tomorrow with my first day in the MR02."

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