Chilton: I deserve a seat next year

Max Chilton believes he has earned another year on the Formula One grid, saying he has proved his pace and consistency…

Max Chilton believes he has earned another year on the Formula One grid, saying he has proved his pace and consistency.

Although his Marussia team-mate Jules Bianchi outperformed him during the first half of the season, Chilton has managed to close the gap during the last few races.

Marussia, though, have already confirmed Bianchi for the 2014 season while Chilton’s future remains unclear with the team only set to announce their second driver after the season is over.

However, the 22-year-old Briton feels he deserves another shot.

“I feel I’m showing not just the team, but everyone on the whole, I deserve a seat for next year,” he is quoted as saying by sportinglife.com.

“Everyone gets judged, so you have to prove yourself, which is hard for rookies these days because there is so little testing, which means it’s going to take part of the season to get up to speed.

“I admit, at times, I haven’t got things right, like at Silverstone and Germany, but on the whole it has been pretty good, and since the August break especially I couldn’t have done much more.

“I’ve been really happy with my performance, as have the team, and I’ve been really happy with them, so it’s going really well.”

Lewis Hamilton’s retirement at the Japanese Grand Prix means Chilton is now the only driver on the grid to see the chequered flag at every race this year, something which he is proud of.

He added: “I’ve proven I’ve got the pace and consistency, as I’m now the only driver to have finished every race.

“In Formula One, like in any sport, it’s the whole package. Sometimes it’s not always about ultimate pace, you need to prove you can bring the car home in the races. If you’re not in it, you can’t win it.

“The last five races have been really encouraging, and to do what I did in qualifying (in Japan) was a step in the right direction.”