Manor have named German Pascal Wehrlein as one of their drivers for the 2016 season, less than two weeks before testing for the new campaign is set to begin.

The youngster will be making his Formula 1 debut after joining the British team from Mercedes, where he has acted as understudy to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg since 2014.

The 21-year-old also became the youngest ever winner of the DTM, Germany’s leading touring car series, during 2015 and now believes he is in the perfect place to begin his top-level career.

Wehrlein said: “Manor Racing is a great place for me to start my Formula 1 racing career – I’m very pleased to be here.”

Wehrlein is hoping to help the Banbury-based outfit score some points during 2016 after a barren year for the team last season.

He added: “It will be a tough challenge but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way. It’s going to be good fun.”

The other race driver position at Manor is yet to be filled, with two of the team’s drivers from last season, Will Stevens and Alexander Rossi, reportedly vying for the last place on the grid for 2016.

Defending champion Hamilton is expected to be the man to beat once again and he is available at 1.60 to claim his third straight World Championship crown.

The new campaign starts with the Australian Grand Prix on March 20 and the first pre-season testing event is set to take place at the Circuit de Catalunya between February 22-25.