Robert Merhi appeared for the first time in Formula One with the Caterham team, participating in a Friday test midway through the 2014 season. He almost completed a full season with Marussia in 2015, although was replaced by Alexander Rossi towards the end of the year, sitting out five of the last seven races. He remained with Manor but moved his focus to endurance racing for 2016.

F1 biography

Merhi's single seater career began with various Formula Renault events around Europe, where he began to make a name for himself. He participated in the Spanish Formula Three series before being signed for a full-season drive in Formula Three, racing for Manor Motorsport. He was quickly finishing on the podium and impressed team bosses when he won the championship in 2011.

The following year, Merhi moved to the DTM championship, joining the newly recreated Mercedes-Benz Junior Team. His best finishing position was a second place, but the coveted win eluded him. In 2014, Merhi joined Zeta Corse to participate in the Formula Renault 3.5 championship and he secured his first victory there in Moscow.

Formula One came calling, and Merhi was signed to the Caterham team for a Friday practice session during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. He participated in two more sessions before the end of the year, but was unable to convert the test role into a full time race seat due to the collapse of the team. Instead, he moved to the Marussia/Manor squad, signed for the 2015 season.

Merhi didn't complete a full season with the team, as he was replaced by Alexander Rossi for the latter half of the season - although he did return for the Russian race and the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In 2016, he turned his focus to endurance racing, remaining with the Manor brand but instead participating in the World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans.