Rio Haryanto, born 22 January 1993 in Surakarta, Central Java, holds a unique place in motorsport history as Indonesia’s first and only Formula One driver, and the first Muslim driver to start a Grand Prix. Though his F1 career was brief, just 12 Grands Prix in 2016, Haryanto’s journey from Southeast Asian karting circuits to the global Formula One stage was anything but ordinary.
| Nationality | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Born | Rio Haryanto 22 January 1993 Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia |
Haryanto’s career began in karting where he quickly made a name for himself, winning multiple regional championships. He moved to single-seaters in 2008 and took his first major international title in 2009, claiming the Formula BMW Pacific Championship with Meritus.
He then climbed the European junior ladder, including spells in GP3 and GP2, developing under the Manor Motorsport umbrella, which would later form his link to F1. His early success in GP3 even earned him a test with Virgin Racing (later Marussia/Manor) at the 2010 Abu Dhabi young driver test.
After years on the brink, Haryanto was confirmed as a full-time driver for Manor Racing in 2016, alongside Pascal Wehrlein, the reigning DTM champion and Mercedes protégé. It was a historic moment for Indonesia and a major milestone for Southeast Asian motorsport.
Driving car number 88, Haryanto made his debut at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, but an early incident with Romain Grosjean in practice earned him a grid penalty and set the tone for a challenging campaign. In the race, he retired on lap 18 with a drivetrain issue.
Despite often finding himself at the back of the field, Haryanto showed flashes of racecraft and resilience. His best finish came in Monaco, where he brought the car home in 15th, albeit four laps down—but it was still classified! He also beat teammate Wehrlein in China and Spain, though Wehrlein would eventually grab Manor’s only point of the season in Austria, highlighting the gulf in car performance and opportunity.
While Haryanto had talent, his F1 seat was primarily backed by Indonesian government sponsorship—funds that, partway through the season, were frozen by Parliament due to procedural concerns. Without the financial backing to continue, Manor demoted him to reserve driver after the 2016 German Grand Prix, replacing him with Esteban Ocon.
In a twist of fate, both of Haryanto’s successors—Ocon and Wehrlein—would go on to race for established teams. Manor, however, collapsed at the end of the 2016 season, closing the chapter on Haryanto’s F1 story.
Rio Haryanto Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Manor |
| Car number | 88 |
| Entries | 12 (12 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 6 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2016 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2016 German Grand Prix |
Rio Haryanto Teammates
| 1 driver | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pascal Wehrlein | 12 | 2016 |
Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Pertamina Manor Racing MRT | Manor MRT05 | Mercedes PU106C Hybrid 1.6 V6 t | AUS Ret | BHR 17 | CHN 21 | RUS Ret | ESP 17 | MON 15 | CAN 19 | EUR 18 | AUT 16 | GBR Ret | HUN 21 | GER 20 | BEL | ITA | SIN | MAL | JPN | USA | MEX | BRA | ABU | 24th | 0 |
