Max Chilton earns Formula One seat for Marussia at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix It is a further pointer towards Chilton, who finished fourth in this season's GP2 championship, being handed a race seat for next season, with Frenchman Pic making way. For Chilton's maiden on-track GP experience with Marussia, Abu Dhabi has been chosen given his previous experiences of the circuit in GP2, as well as driving for Marussia towards the end of last season in the young driver test. As part of the young driver programme this year I got to know the team very well. But over the last two race weekends as reserve driver I feel like I have a proper role and have learned so much about the Formula One environment in a very short space of time. This is the next step in the process of proving my potential and another important notch for me personally in terms of my ultimate goals. I will now concentrate my efforts on keeping my excitement in check and ensuring I make the most of this fantastic opportunity. Chilton also tested for Marussia at another young driver day at Silverstone in July, with team principal John Booth now keen to see how much he has progressed since then. Booth said: "Since that time, Max has impressed a great deal in the GP2 series, achieving two race wins in the latter part of the season. So at the same time as ensuring his preparedness for the reserve driver role, we are looking forward to comparing his driving development with his growing maturity outside of the car.