Cypriot Tio Ellinas is being given the chance to test for Banbury's Marussia F1 Team.

Ellinas, 20, the most successful Marussia Manor Racing GP3 driver of its 2012 Series campaign, impressed the team and many others in the series throughout his debut GP3 season, which concluded at Monza last weekend. Despite some very determined performances, victory eluded him until the 11th hour, when he demonstrated that he was equal to the pressure of the final race of the season on Sunday.

He follows in the footsteps of Rio Haryanto, who has graduated to the GP2 Series, and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs in securing the opportunity of an F1 rookie test with the Marussia F1 Team.

Quaife-Hobbshas gone on to win the Auto GP championship this year and Haryanto has enjoyed a positive debut season in GP2.

John Booth, Team Principal of Marussia F1, said: "It is very important to us to not only provide opportunities for the current crop of drivers, but also to nurture the next generation of rising stars.

"Whilst we are incredibly focused on the operations of the Marussia F1 Team at Grands Prix, it is second nature to us to watch with interest the very exciting and encouraging performances we see in the support formulae. Tio has done a superb job all season and thoroughly deserves the opportunity of an F1 Test.”

Ellinas said: "“It was fantastic to win my first race last weekend at Monza. It has been a tough season, but I have learned a lot and it culminated in the success of the weekend at an amazing circuit.

"It doesn’t quite seem real that I’m going to get my first F1 test; it is something I have always dreamed of since I was a child. The test should come after the season next year, so I will be well prepared for it. I have got a lot of work to do before then though, so I will keep my head down over the winter and work hard to prepare for the 2013 season. I really want to thank the Marussia F1 team for this amazing opportunity.”