Trouble For Manor Racing

MORE TROUBLE FOR MANOR RACING IN 2017

    Time is running out for Manor to find a way to the Australian GP, after the administrator failed to find a buyer in the three weeks since the team went into administration.

    There’s still a chance the team could be revived in time for the start of the season, if a buyer is found for the remnants of the team.

    Just Racing Services, which operates Manor, went into administration on the 6th of January and has no ceased trading. Staff have been told they will be made redundant by the close of business on the 31st of January, but will be paid their salaries for this month.

    FRP Advisory said there was “No sustainable operational or financial structure in place to maintain the group as a going concern.”

    Manor’s departure means all three teams that joined Formula One back in 2010 have left the sport. The teams were attracted by the promise of a budget cap being introduced, but the £40 million cap was never put in place. All three teams faced budget problems before being forced to leave the sport.

    There’s still hope for Manor. The team could be revived in time for the start of the season, if a buyer is found for the remnant of the team. The team has come this close to death before, when a buyer was found last minute in 2015, keeping the team alive for another year.

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Abu Dhabi GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “We just have to do our very best and see where that gets us. I think we have to be realistic about what is possible in Abu Dhabi, but that shouldn’t stop us fighting all the way to the finish. Over the last couple of races we have seen what a difference three solid practice sessions makes to our qualifying and race preparation. We have to get everything right, and at the same time, identify every little advantage and opportunity. If that happens, we have shown four times this year that we can make it into Q2, and a better starting position can make a big difference in the race. Brazil happened, so the chance to show more of what we have achieved together this year is what we are targeting.”

Esteban Ocon - “I will forever be grateful to Manor Racing for giving me the opportunity to begin my F1 career, so my objective is to help put a smile on everyone’s faces on Sunday afternoon. Getting both cars to the chequered flag with one last strong performance under our belts is my target. It maybe won’t change the situation in the constructors’ standings, but it will be a measure of what the team has done well so many times this season.”

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Brazilian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “I think this is the perfect venue for this point in the season - a technically interesting track that has a lot of challenges for team and driver, and one where exciting racing is pretty much guaranteed. It’s a race that can create a few surprises - which means opportunities - so we need to be right there to take advantage of them.”

Esteban Ocon - “The first thing for me is to make sure we have managed to dial-out the problem we had in Mexico, as it affected my whole weekend. I’m really hoping we can start from our usual good baseline again and I can focus on building my performance through the weekend. A more representative progression and hopefully a more representative result to go with it. Plus, we have a big job to do for the team in the next two races, so we need to keep pushing and find more performance to help us keep up the fight with Sauber.

On-track, I’ve watched some fantastic racing here over the years and in particular the weather has played a big hand in that. I’ve already witnessed my first Sao Paulo thunderstorm - and I think there are plenty more where that one came from. It’s an exciting track to drive and a nice one to try to master, with all the elevation changes, the harder spectrum tyres and finding the best set-up to manage the aero demands for this circuit. Off-track? I’m looking forward to a nice juicy steak at one of the amazing churrascarias.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “On Tuesday I travelled here to Mexico City and it was really interesting flying over the city before we landed – so many people living here! On Wednesday I played football with a few of the other drivers and some Mexican professional players. We played on a pitch on top of a shopping mall; I guess there isn’t much space on the ground! It was a lot of fun and a nice way to get pumped ready for the weekend.

Austin went well overall but we didn’t achieve our objective of finishing ahead of Sauber. They remain our main competitor right now and we have to keep them behind us for the rest of the season - especially in the Constructors’ table. It’s too early to know how well this track will favour our car, but I’m looking forward to getting to know another new circuit and finding a good set-up so we can have a nice battle here.”

Esteban Ocon - "(Mexico has) two big stand-out features I think. The first, that it’s a really fast circuit with long straights and one of the highest top speeds of the season. Also, the atmosphere - I hear it’s amazing, especially on race day. I can’t wait to try both of those things for myself!”

(The city)looks really cool, but I think there will be less opportunity to explore. Austin was great because downtown everything is condensed into a reasonably small area. Mexico City is definitely not a reasonably small area! I was expecting ‘big’, but it’s still really surprising to see. So, I think the racetrack will be where we’re spending most of our time this week and it looks pretty cool, so I’m happy for that. It also has a lot of rich history, so it’s been nice talking to Dave (Ryan) and Pat (Fry) over the past couple of days about some of their stories from the ‘old days’. My engineer Juan is also Mexican, so as well as him knowing the track really well, I get great tips on where to find the best Tacos!”

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US GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “I’m really excited about heading to the US, Mexico and Brazil. The cities are really cool – places I really want to visit and explore – and the circuits are a mix of new and traditional. So it’s going to be fun. I like the look of the section from Turns 12-15 – very much like the stadium section at Hockenheim, so that gets a thumbs-up before I’ve even started running there. I think the sensation of heading through the start-finish straight and up the steep hill to Turn 1 is going to be really cool as well and then there are some other sections that are reminiscent of other circuits, like Silverstone, so it seems that it has a bit of everything. The weather can be quite mixed there - judging by what I saw there last year - so it will be interesting working with the tyres I think. I can’t wait.”

Esteban Ocon - “I’m really getting into a good rhythm now. At first it was not easy, stepping into a new car mid-season, but every race things are improving and when we have a nice run-up to race day, I can really show what I can do. So, yes, another strong weekend in Austin would be good. It looks pretty amazing. It’s the Live Music Capital of the World, so I’m hoping to experience that a little bit before the hard work starts for the weekend. And the Texas BBQ looks good too. I’ll give that a try, for sure!”

Jordan King (Running in FP#1 Only) - “First of all, I’d like to thank the team for making this possible. It’s another big step in the right direction for me, after two really positive tests in the MRT05 which paved the way for this opportunity. It’s a dream come true, but at the same time I have a job to do in the car on Friday and I want to make sure I give the team plenty of quality feedback and data to help with their US GP challenge.

There’s quite a lot to cram into 90 minutes. I’ll be exploring the balance of the car and correlating that with the team’s simulation work. There’ll be some new components to evaluate, along with the tyre specifications for this event. I’ll also be learning the circuit and getting up to speed with the car, which has been developed quite a bit since I last drove it at Silverstone. I can’t wait!”

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Japanese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “Every destination is a new experience for me but some stand out more than others. This is definitely one of those. Already, I met a lot of fans as they are camped out at the hotel and they gave me a super-excited welcome, which was nice. I also got some great and funny gifts; the fans are really creative, I have to say. I’d love to go to Tokyo one day, though I won’t get the chance on this visit, but the crowds come from all over the country to this race, so I hope we can reward their enthusiasm and support for our team with a good performance this weekend.

This is a very technical and challenging track for car and driver, so the first thing is to master the circuit. After that, we started to get our new developments working better by the time we got to race day in Sepang, so hopefully we can continue that progress. We need to find a little more pace from them, so that’s the big focus for Friday. After that, we’ll see.”

Esteban Ocon - “The first thing I did when I got here was to run the track. It’s a very technical circuit – the figure of eight, the great mix of low, medium and high speed corners. I wanted to see it for myself as soon as possible and it’s a very impressive track that I think I’ll enjoy. There are a lot of variables to think about here - it’s a high downforce circuit, so we need to get the best compromise set-up because we suffer a little aerodynamically. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into my programme on Friday now.

I’ve had some very positive moments over the past four race weekends, including a strong qualifying in Sepang last weekend. But a clean race has so far eluded me, so I’d like a more complete weekend here in Japan, to show more of what I’ve learned and my performance as an F1 driver. That would be nice.”

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Malaysian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “I’m certainly hoping for better things than in Singapore. That was a great venue and I enjoyed every bit of the experience, especially the night race factor, but it was not such a good weekend for our package. This race has seen very high temperatures and humidity levels in the past. It’s going to be tough, even with the change to a later slot in the calendar, but the fast and flowing circuits give us a better starting point. Plus, the wet tyre testing I had last week (for Pirelli) will probably come in handy here!”

Esteban Ocon - “Three (successive) race distances ticked off is certainly important for me, after starting my F1 career over halfway through the season. It hasn’t all been plain sailing though and in particular Singapore was a tough race in which we made life difficult for ourselves. Still, there’s a lot to look forward to – practice makes perfect and all that - and I’m hoping for better things from here onwards.

(Malaysia) will be quite a different experience to Singapore, which was characterised by more and slower turns, plus the very different challenge of a street circuit. This one is much faster with longer corners, so more representative of the circuits where our car has performed better. The high temperatures make it tough on the tyres, so we’ll have to work at managing the degradation, plus rain could be a factor - potentially my first wet sessions. I’m looking forward to another new experience.”

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Singapore GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “Checking into my hotel room, seeing the view of the Marina Bay Circuit laid out right in front of me, was a very nice feeling. An incredible view of an incredible city and a fantastic location for a Grand Prix. Tough conditions, a demanding circuit for car and driver – exactly the kind of challenge I love. Bring it on!

I’m prepared for the fact that it will be tough-going; high temperatures, high humidity, 23 corners on a track that is not so long compared to some. The track conditions can be changeable, with two practice sessions in daylight, and qualifying and the race at night - and, of course, the rain. Plus, it’s a street circuit, so it can be quite unforgiving. But, you won’t find me complaining. Pretty much every track is new for me this season, so while each one is to be respected, I don’t worry too much about acclimatisation; it’s something I really enjoy. I’ll let you know how it goes!”

Esteban Ocon - “I’m loving and learning every minute - and there’s so much more still to come. It’s a big challenge stepping up to F1 in the middle of the season; so much to get to grips with and no time to stop and think, only to keep pushing forward. It’s a big test, but that works for me! In only two races I’ve had some things go well and some things go less well, but I’ve got two race distances under my belt and I’m really happy with the way I’ve slotted into the team, and with my own performances. Six of the next seven tracks are new for me, so some exciting challenges are ahead, which is great! Plus, we have some important objectives as a team, which we need to be very focused on.

I think we’ve shown that when everything goes our way, we can expect to be in Q2. Pascal has been able to show that it’s possible. So that’s the next target for me personally. When we start further up the grid, we can create opportunities for the race, and then, who knows, another point is a real possibility. At this stage, that would be a dream come true in a long list of dreams I’d like to realise.”

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “You never know how well a car is going to be suited to a track until you actually drive for the first time on Friday, but this is a high-speed track and the theory is that we can do well again here. That’s my goal, anyway. I’m pretty happy with what I’ve achieved so far in my first 13 races. 13! Ah yes, that explains Spa! Just joking; I’m not really superstitious. The upside of that weekend was starting the race from the midfield, so that’s our biggest target achieved right there! And, we could have been even higher, as we saw with P9 in Q1. It was a ‘team’ target to close the gap to the midfield, but my own target, as a driver, to get us there. So I’m pretty happy with that. I’m also excited by the possibilities for the rest of the season if we can continue like this. Ours are small but very important steps. We’re ahead of Sauber and really pushing Renault, so my next target is to keep things that way and make the gap to the midfield even smaller. Of course, I’d like to see us get another point or two very soon. That would be nice.”

Esteban Ocon - “It’s such an amazing circuit, with so much history. I raced here in GP3 last year, so that’s good preparation, although the feeling with an F1 car is quite different and going out for the first time will be pretty special. What was so great about the race in Spa was that I had so many situations to deal with; it was an eventful race! I feel like I can roll all of that experience and learning into a much stronger weekend. I love the fast circuits, and I hope I can do well here.”

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Belgian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Esteban Ocon - “I’ve raced here before in F3 and GP3, so that will help for sure. I couldn’t have wished for a better place to start my F1 racing career. Spa is a magical circuit, with so much history and such a technical challenge for a driver. Plus it’s pretty close to being a home race for me. All of that makes this weekend pretty special.

It’s a moment I’ve dreamed of for so long. I can’t wait to get started. The last two weeks have seemed like an eternity, but I’ve had a good break with plenty of time to think about how I’m going to approach things, so I’m ready to go! I want to do a good job of getting to know the car, my crew, the whole team and get a really good weekend as something to build on. That’s my goal. I have some family here this weekend to cheer me on. We’re all very close, so this is a big weekend for them after all the support I’ve had getting to this point. I want to do well for them.”

Pascal Wehrlein - “I missed the racing! It was nice to spend time with family and friends though and think about the first 12 races. I’m glad the guys in the team had a good rest and I’m looking forward to picking up where we left off in Germany. There’s a lot to play for in the next nine races and we have a good base to build from. Every driver loves Spa. Lots of long straights and fast corners, and a real challenge. I’m excited about my first F1 race here.”

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Ocon Replaces Haryanto at Manor

    Esteban Ocon has joined Manor F1 for the remainder of the season, replacing Rio Haryanto after the Indonesian was demoted to reserve driver.

    Haryanto’s future in F1 was never certain, and there were rumours that the Indonesian wouldn’t be able to race past the Hungarian Grand Prix. Haryanto was able to go one race further to compete in the German Grand Prix, but that’s the Indonesian’s time up.

    The team said on their Facebook page that Rio was “unable to meet his contractual obligations”.

    Ocon, a Mercedes junior, has been brought in to fill the seat for the rest of the season. The nineteen year old comes with a lot more experience than Haryanto. Renault reserve driver, a strong DTM season this year, Formula 3 and GP3 champion – it all bodes well for a successful Formula One career.

Manor racing director, Dave Ryan, said:

    “We are very pleased to welcome Esteban to Manor Racing for the remainder of the season. He is clearly one of the rising stars of F1, shining in his Reserve Driver role with Renault whilst also competing in the DTM with Mercedes-AMG this year.”

    “I’m thrilled that I’ll be making my Grand Prix debut with Manor Racing later this month, and at Spa, of all circuits, which is the next best thing to my home race,” said Ocon. “I’m ready for this exciting step up, thanks to the experience I’ve gained as a Formula 1 Reserve Driver this season.”

    Ocon thanked Renault and Manor, and is excited to build on the progress Manor have already made so far this season. As the Frenchman is a Mercedes junior, the team have been keeping a close eye on the move.

    Toto Wolff said: “We are very pleased that this opportunity has opened up for Esteban, that Manor has again had the confidence to give a chance to a promising young talent… Manor is just the right environment for a young driver to get his first experience of F1: a professional, small team that is on a positive upward trend and where the driver can make a real difference. Esteban did an exceptional job in the works Mercedes at the Silverstone test and we are excited to see him take his first steps in an F1 race environment.”

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “It’s my home Grand Prix - the one I’ve been most looking forward to. It will also be the busiest so far for me, so maybe after that a little break will be nice. I intend to enjoy it. Of course Germany will have a special significance as the first home race of my F1 career. First of many, I hope! Knowing a race track does have its advantages but, really, we push just as hard at every track we race at.”

Rio Haryanto - N/A

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Hungarian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Rio Haryanto - “I enjoy everything about Hungary, and especially the circuit. I won here in 2011 in GP3 - with the Manor Racing GP3 team in fact! I arrived here two days ago, so I’ve had plenty of time to adjust to the high temperatures that we have here at the moment, and to explore the city a bit. I’ve been here a few times now and it seems to get better and better every year. From GP2 I know this is a really interesting and technically challenging circuit. It’s pretty relentless, in that you don’t get much time to catch your breath during the lap. It requires maximum concentration at pretty much every turn if you really want to put a good lap together, but when you do, it’s actually a lot of fun.”

Pascal Wehrlein - “These next two races are really good ones so, if anything, things will be hotting up for me, rather than calming down. The Hungarian Grand Prix is always an exciting event.”

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British GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “(Another point this weekend) would be very nice but let’s be clear - this is a different race track and a different weekend. At the last Grand Prix we seemed to have improved a few things things that were holding us back. We didn’t suffer with tyre degradation as much as we have previously and our pace was strong - we were able to race for more than 40 laps on a single set of soft tyres, which is a measure of just how well we got the car working that weekend. That doesn’t automatically translate to the next circuit, or even the one after that, but if you can say you did everything right and got the maximum possible from the car we have, then that’s a good result.”

Rio Haryanto - “It will be a fantastic occasion; I can’t wait. There’s a real buzz about the team at the moment after the first point and that’s incredible to see and feel. It’s really important to me that we put on the best show possible this weekend for everybody who has worked so hard and contributed to that result in Austria.”

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European GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Rio Haryanto - “(Baku is) awesome. I don’t really know what I was expecting but it has exceeded all my expectations. The diversity of the city is really striking; the mix of old and new makes it a pretty spectacular setting for a Grand Prix. I really like it here and I’m sure the fans will too. I think it’s going to be incredible to drive. It’s certainly one of the faster tracks on the calendar and in particular Turn 15 looks really exciting. The walls are so close yet the track is really narrow and fast there. It’s a bit like Monaco in that one little mistake could be punished quite severely.”

Pascal Wehrlein - “The great thing about Baku is that it’s new for everyone - all the teams and all the drivers - so it’s a case of mastering the circuit better than your competition. It’s a high-speed circuit so, much like Canada, will be well-suited to our package. There were some positive signs in Montreal but we missed some opportunities there, so I hope we can show more of our improvement here versus Sauber in particular.”


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Monaco GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “I can’t deny it - I’m super excited! It’s a race like no other and although they are all new to me in my debut season, it’s such a special feeling – and a privilege – to be competing here. I can’t describe the feeling of racing at this track but listening to others that have really gives me goose bumps. What I do know though is that it’s a race that demands every bit of focus and concentration from the driver. So although I’m itching to get in the car and go, I’m very aware that there’s a lot of preparation to be done between now and the race.”

It’s the first proper street circuit of the season and one of the most historic events on the calendar. I know I’m going to love it. It’s also going to be pretty busy off-track as we have a lot of partner guests and activities here. It will be a juggling act I think but I want to enjoy every second of my first Monaco Grand Prix.”

Rio Haryanto - “Lining up for my first Grand Prix in Melbourne was a pretty special feeling but I’m sure competing in my first Monaco Grand Prix will come very close. It’s a completely unique experience, which I know from racing here in GP2. I’ve actually been on the podium in Monaco after finishing in 3rd place in 2014 and the atmosphere and sense of occasion is incredible. Although we have slightly more realistic ambitions this weekend, everyone knows that this race creates opportunities like no other – particularly if it rains, which at the moment is the forecast for Sunday.”

(Driving at Monaco is) an incredible experience for a driver. The lap feels so quick and passes by in a flash but at the same time you’re captivated by mastering every single corner. It requires every bit of your full focus because it’s such an unforgiving track; the proximity of the barriers mean that one tiny mistake can be very costly. But it can also be very rewarding if you get it right.”

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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “It will be nice to get straight into the programme here without having to think about acclimatisation. Although I didn’t race here in my early single-seater career, it’s a track we know well from testing and its characteristics are very familiar to us, so it will be relatively easy to see how our new developments are working. It has a bit of everything for a driver, which I like. There’s a good mix of fast, medium and slow speed corners, frequent changes in direction and a nice long start-finish straight, all of which make it really interesting to drive. The track is quite abrasive so with the tyre allocation here we’ll need to focus on managing degradation. I hope we will see some good progress here this weekend.”

Rio Haryanto - “Indonesia is my real home of course and I try to go back there at every opportunity, but the reality is that it’s a long way when we’re racing in Europe, so I have a base here in Barcelona for the next few months. I really like it here; the weather is good and it’s a really cool city with plenty of interesting places for me to train. My trainer is Spanish so he knows all the best places and I know the area like the back of my hand now.

I feel good about the season so far. I’ve had a bit of bad luck but generally the first few races have been positive for me. I feel quite happy with the way I’m learning and developing with each new race, particularly in terms of my pace. You learn to put the disappointments to one side and use it as extra determination for the next event. So I’m ready to get stuck into the weekend here. It’s a track I know really well so we should be up to speed quite quickly and able to get a good impression of how our package works here.”

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John Booth Joins Toro Rosso

Scuderia Toro Rosso welcomed former Manor team boss John Booth into the garage last weekend in Sochi.

    It was a shock last year when Booth and Manor’s sporting director, Graeme Lowdon, announced they would be leaving the Manor F1 team, with Booth having worked with the squad since 2010. When Manor switched to LMP2 in the World Endurance Championship, Booth followed them, but now he’s back in the Formula One paddock.

    “It is a great honour to join such a well-established and competitive team as Scuderia Toro Rosso,” said Booth. “It is a team that has achieved so much in a relatively short space of time.”

    “I have known John for many years and I am delighted to welcome him to the team,” said team Principal Franz Tost. “Formula 1 is becoming ever more complex, with recent changes on the tyre front, car set-up, radio communications and so forth. Therefore, having a competitive car and talented drivers, both of which we have, on its own is not enough. With his vast experience, I am sure John will help the team raise the game and become a more effective force over a race weekend.”

    Booth joins the team on a consultancy basis as Director of Racing, as well as continuing his work in the Manor WEC team.

    There were no points for the team in Booth’s first STR race, with a twelfth place for Carlos Sainz and a retirement for Max Verstappen, but everyone is already looking forward to the next race in Spain.

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “Sochi Autodrom is a great-looking track; I can’t wait to try it out on Friday. It’s essentially a street circuit and they’re always fun to drive. This one is quite fast and having the Olympic Park in the middle of it is something a bit different. For us, hopefully we have been able to continue improving our set-up so we can unlock a little more of the car’s potential. There’s still plenty of work to do there. Fundamentally we have a good package and every race we’re making progress, but it’s still very early days. There’s plenty we can do in every area to improve and find more performance. I’m learning a huge amount with each new race and we’re really starting to work well together as a team, so it’s a combination of factors that will help push us forward. It’s exciting to see how we can build from here.”

Rio Haryanto - (Quote about almost winning in Sochi in GP2 last year) - “Yes, it would have been my fourth win of the season. I took the lead on the final lap but in the end I had to settle for second after I was judged to have overtaken under the Safety Car. It would have put me in contention for the title too. Still, it was a good race for me. I’m looking forward to getting a feel for the track in an F1 car.”

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Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “It’s great fun getting to grips with a new circuit and once you’ve done a few laps, it’s not such a big issue, as long as the weather is on your side so you can build momentum. I walked the track last year with Mercedes and obviously I’ve prepared on the simulator, so I just want to get stuck into FP1 now and see how our package performs here.”

It was funny to hear about those (rocket) comments from Kev (Kevin Magnussen) during the race (in Bahrain). It was true though; the car was really quick on the straights and there are a couple of good ones here at Shanghai. What we know from Bahrain though is that there’s some more work to do to get the best from the car throughout the lap. There is still a lot we can do to continue improving the set-up and here we need a good compromise from straights to turns. It’s quite a challenging track so I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Rio Haryanto - “Shanghai is a track I know really well from my Asian Formula Renault Challenge and Formula BMW Pacific days. It’s fun and challenging to drive so it will be nice to come back here and see how it feels in a Formula 1 car! There was a lot to take away and think about after Bahrain and I’m sure we’ll see more from the car and myself in China. Hopefully we will have made some further improvements with the set-up and I can feel a little more confident with the car.”

Anywhere that has Asian food is okay with me. Plus, I head back to Indonesia after every race, so what is a long haul for the team is actually a short haul for me. In the absence of an Indonesian Grand Prix – yet! – the Asian races are home turf for me, so it’s nice that there are so many of them.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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