Manor (formerly Marussia)

Virgin

FIA Entry: Marussia Virgin Racing
Car 24: Timo Glock
Car 25: Jerome d’Ambrosio
Engine: Cosworth V8
Team Principal: John Booth
Technical Director: Nick Wirth
Race Engineer Car 24: Mark Hutchison
Race Engineer Car 25: Dave Greenwood

Stats as of end 2010

First Entered 2010
Races Entered 19
Race Wins 0
Pole Positions 0
Fastest Laps 0
Driver World Championships 0
Constructor World Championships 0

Manor Motorsport

When F3 team Manor Motorsport were given a place on the F1 grid in 2010 they commissioned Wirth Research to build them a car. Brawn sponsor Virgin became title sponsor and Virgin Racing was born

Virgin Racing

With Cosworth engines, Xtrac gearboxes and drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi Virgin Racing embarked on their first F1 season. The VR01 chassis was the first ever F1 designed entirely using CFD, with designer Nick Wirth believing computer simulations were sufficient to not need expensive wind tunnel testing.

Inevitably the team had reliability issues early on and they also discovered the fuel tank on the car wasn't sufficiently large enough to allow the team to complete full race distance. Wirth Research got a dispensation from the FIA to homologate a new chassis and by Spain both cars finished the race.

The team regularly finished races but barely troubled the mid-field. By seasons end the team were placed 12th and last in the Constructors Championship based on a count back of minor placing’s having managed a highest finish of 14th.

2011

Russian carmaker Marussia have taken a controlling interest in the team for 2011 and Belgian Jerome d’Ambrosio replaces Lucas di Grassi. With the VR02 chassis Virgin will be hoping to move further up the grid in 2011.

 

[RasputinLives]

Lowden says they are in talks with 'some quick young guys' for the second Manor seat

http://m.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/322757/manor-in-talks-with-quick-young-guys/

That rules Van Der Garde out then

 

[cider_and_toast]

Blimey, the number of people it rules out goes way beyond Van Der Garde.

 

[RasputinLives]

Well lets do some detective work on this. Their are 5 drivers being talked about;

Van Der Garde - he's currently sueing Sauber which would be pointless if he was negociating with Manor.

Mehri - he was at testing today for the WSR 3.5 having just signed for Pons racing so I think he's out too.

KMag - is back in the Mclaren for Aus so not going to be him

Vandoorne - signed for Art for the GP2 season.

JEV - is already confirmed in the Formula E for race weekend.

So really its going to be someone out of left field who is not currently attached. Jolyon Palmer might be a good call. I think it would be too much to hope for it to be poor old Esteban Ocon.

My final call though is Johnny Ceccto Jr. He's unattached, has a whole load of Venezulan cash and can be described as young and quick without being sued to much under the trade descriptions act.

Of course it could just be Justin King's son.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives

I am not sure who else has connections with Justin King - former Sainsbury's chief - his son races in GP2 so looks like another spoilt rich kid will get into F1 not long soon

He's been mainly working for companies based in the UK except a period for Pepsi in the Middle East so my assumption is that the 2nd driver will probably be British

I was thinking maybe Jolyon Palmer but I am not sure what his contract is with Force India - Gp2 champion that would be fit the right bill not just someone with no pedigree and plenty of cash

 

[RasputinLives]

Jolyon Palmer is at Enstone and Jordan King was in European F3 last year. He has signed to race in GP2 for the current season so I think in reality he's not going to be there second driver this year. I imagine the plan is to get him in for 2016 but, thanks to the new rules coming in on super licences, that will depend on how he does in GP2. To be fair to Jordan King on his day he was keeping pace with Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon last year. It was just that his day was a rarity and most of the time he got into silly accidents in the midfield.

From things KMag has said I get the impression he was set to be Manors second driver but the whole Alonso thing has blown it out the water. If they are taking on a driver to cement their relationship with Mclaren then you would suspect Vandoorne would be next in line but he's already signed for GP2. On top of that how do Mclaren explain that one to KMag if Stoff gets the seat and then Alonso comes back and he's left out in the cold?

Marchellio is the Ferrari option I guess but I don't think Manor are on good terms with Ferrari due to the debt and getting old engines.

I still think all signs point to Ceccto Jr and with him you never know what you're going to get. He's blindingly quick sometimes and pulls off some great overtakes but he also has shades of Maldonado on frequent occasions. Watching him delib force someone off track as revenge for being blocked by them earlier is something I'll never forget.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Fifty shades of Maldonado

 

[Il_leone]

Apologies I thought Jolyon had signed with Force India as the reserve driver not Enstone

Are Manor going to use Ferrari engines ? I thought they had a 3 year contract. I can't think Ferrari would be keen to lend engines unless they get one of their young drivers in the 2nd car.

"Quick young " - define "Young " as Vergne is only 26 right ?

No one has mentioned Alexander Rossi? However after the furore last year at Spa . He might be better off trying to get himself into Haas Team for 2016

I guess Sam Bird is ruled out then being 28 years old. What about James Calado?

 

[RasputinLives]

Il_leone both JEV and Sam Bird are signed up for Formula E. Both of them are already in Miami for next weekends race so it won't be them and Rossi signed a contract to be in GP2 this week. All Ferrari's youth drivers are similarly contracted in for this season. Ferrari aren't 'lending' engines - they are being paid for them last years engines at that!

Calado is unattached currently though.

 

[Il_leone]

I thought Marussia had a 3 year contract with Ferrari for the engines?

 

[cider_and_toast]

I would imagine that was before they went into administration and had to get their creditors to accept a deal. I would imagine the original engine deal went out of the window.

 

[Il_leone]

I guess they will have to use last year engine's if they are fully paid for

 

[siffert_fan]

With the political situation in Venezuela at the moment, how secure do you think Ceccoto's funding is?

 

[RasputinLives]

Thats true. Maldonado seems ok but it could be a factor.

Hopefully they won't keep us in suspence for too much longer!

 

[RasputinLives]

Oh and Il_leone http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117752

Old article but about the engine deal.

 

[RasputinLives]

Fabio Leimer just became avalible and has a super licence. No funding though.

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.co...ampion-fabio-leimer-loses-super-formula-seat/

 

[Tuscan1969]

If Van Der Garde is in Australia for the court case it could be a win / win....

If he gets a pay off from Sauber he can use it to finance Manor
BUT
if he gets nothing then he can presumably cancel any other commitments he had with sponsors etc on the back of the judgement thus freeing them up to contribute funds to Manor instead...

And Manor get a chap with "some" F1 experience

 

[cider_and_toast]

If I was Manor, I'd be asking around to see which big teams rising prospect needed a super license before the big clamp down comes in. It could be a speedy route for someone into F1.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives Thanks and about Jolyon Palmer did he actually check what happened to the last GP2 champion that signed with Enstone to be reserve driver... he did not get a drive even when Kimi walked out because he did not have the money

So really I think Jolyon is wasting his time at Enstone with all the troubles they are having.. really no matter how chassis Maldonado junks he won't be replaced and really Romain is going to have to be majorly with the team to walk out

So Jolyon should think about putting himself for the Marussia seat

---------------

Marussia need drivers who can probably help them beat Sauber because Team Enstone should not be anywhere near the back of the grid

Getting a couple of pay drivers is pointless for Marussia

 

[soccerman17]

I don't think they're going to beat Sauber no matter who is driving. Sauber looks kind of fast and I don't think Manor/Marussia is going to be as close to anybody as they were last year. Their best hope is Honda/McLaren never getting their shit together and having both speed and reliability issues. They definitely need the money right now more than they need the speed, maybe the money will let them build a halfway decent car next year when they actually have time to make it.

Best case scenario for their drivers is pay drivers who have speed too. I would suggest Cecotto because he has plenty of cash and could produce an odd good result but Manor probably couldn't afford the repair bills. If Nasr wasn't already at Sauber he would be the perfect candidate. Somebody like him is the best bet. If that's not the case money comes before speed at this point, sadly enough. I'd rather see people with speed in there but I'm not sure it would make much difference with Manor riding around at the back.

 

[Mephistopheles]

they only need one lucky points score like they got last year also I reckon Force India are going to really struggle this year as well and what with the Honda being unreliable Manor could even score points in the first round...