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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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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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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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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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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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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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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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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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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Manor Launch 2016 Car

Manor Racing’s new MRT05 is a dream racer, according to technical director John McQuilliam.

Whilst, from the outside, the car may look similar to that of 2015, it is definitely an all new car. And one which might prove to be more competitive than many people may expect, especially with the Mercedes built power unit beneath the chassis.

“The overall package is a very significant step forward,” said McQuilliam. “Not just from last year, but from any of the cars from our stable. So yes, we have a long way to go from here in terms of developing the MRT05, but it’s already a dream package for the 154 Manor Racing people who’ve worked so hard to design and build it. In a small team like ours, every individual has played their part.”

Manor believe the new car will be a contender this year, compared to last year’s car, where the team was making do with what they could get. The team has been working on the new car since the middle of last season.

As well as featuring the Mercedes power unit, the MRT05 will feature a transmission package and gear box from Williams Advanced Engineering.

The car isn’t the only thing that’s new though, with Manor also bringing two new drivers to the grid: Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto.

“Pascal and Rio are a great addition to our team,” said racing director, Dave Ryan. “They are young and hungry but, crucially, experienced racers with a lot of talent and a great deal of potential. We’re very proud that they’re making their F1 debut with Manor Racing.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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