Rio Haryanto looks set to confirm he will race alongside Pascal Wehrlein at Manor in 2016, with the Indonesian's sponsor calling a press conference scheduled for Thursday.
With news that Britain's Will Stevens is out of the running, it leaves just Haryanto and America's Alexander Rossi as the most likely candidates for the second seat. However the former has upwards of £10 million in financial backing from Indonesia's government and his personal sponsor, oil company Pertamina, putting him in pole position for the final seat on the grid.
The 23-year-old has been in talks with Manor for several months now, but had failed to secure the necessary funding to convince them to sign him. However it's believed the funding shortfall has now been covered and guaranteed, therefore paving the way for an announcement.
Pertamina has invited local media and motorsport journalists to its Jakarta headquarters on Thursday afternoon. It's expected Haryanto will attend, therefore hinting the GP2 driver will announce his plans for the season ahead.
Manor will be keen to confirm its driver line-up in the coming days with pre-season testing kicking-off next week.
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