MANOR GRAND PRIX
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EXPERT VIEW
Gary Anderson
Technical consultant
Will Stevens
has been named
on the entry list
But what exactly is the long-term plan? I’m
concerned about the creditors, because this team
dug itself deeper and deeper into financial trouble,
whoever’s fault that was, and this can’t just be a
continuation of the same thing.
It’s going to be a long, hard season for Manor,
if the team makes it to Australia, which is still not
certain at the time of writing.
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With what is basically a 2014 car and an out-ofdate specification of the weakest power-unit
package of last year, Manor is simply in survival
mode. The car will be at the back of the grid in
terms of time, so the question is where is the team
going? All credit to those involved for making it, but
this needs to be about more than just being there
to secure the £30 million or so FOM money.
It’s degrading for F1 to have put a team in this
position given the money the sport is making. Over
the years, there have been endless talks but
nothing has been done to reduce costs, we’ve
already lost the Caterham team and others are in
trouble. So while it’s good to see the team on the
grid, the situation is still concerning.
I’ve got nothing against Graeme Lowdon and
John Booth, who are there for the right reasons and
have worked very hard to get the team on the grid.
Booth and Lowdon
have worked hard
Marussia began as
Virgin Racing
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knife-edge push to modify the nose and crash
structures so an interim car could be readied.
The focus on doing that also meant that
resources have had to be taken away from
its bespoke 2015 challenger.
Manor knew that making it back to the grid was
never going to be straightforward. It was always
going to be a tightly focused effort, with little time
to breathe and no room for things to go wrong.
That’s why there is still plenty to do. It has a
driver in Will Stevens, and it has secured its place
on the entry list. Crash tests were booked for
this week after AUTOSPORT closed for press.
Yet it’s going to take something to deliver a car
that will comfortably qualify within the 107 per
cent rule. There are still political fights to sort
out – especially because of that prize money.
Chief discussion point now is the chassis name,
which ultimately will decide if Manor qualifies
for Marussia’s commercial-rights money or
not. Watch this space.
Fighting is something that Lowdon and Booth
are well used to, though. And until all hope
is gone, they will keep battling away like
they have always done.
MARCH 5 2015 AUTOSPORT.COM 67
PREVIEW
“REJECTING
THE 2014 CAR
ALLOWANCE
WAS A BLOW
TO MANOR,
BUT NOT A
FATAL ONE”
of commercial-rights income for this season.
But the way the prize fund system works
means that there are longer-term benefits,
especially since Caterham’s demise has left
only 10 teams on the grid. If a team finishes in
the top 10 in two out of three years, then that
£30 million-per-year income is safe. Manor is
guaranteed a top-10 finish this year, so cannot
fall out of the prize pool until at least the end
of 2017, irrespective of what newcomer Haas
does when it arrives next year.
That is, unless, its rivals could derail its return.
Which is exactly the opportunity that came up
in February when F1’s Strategy Group met to
discuss the proposal to allow teams to run a 2014
car. Since rejecting this could prevent Manor’s
return – and in effect divide its income among
the remaining teams – it was little surprise that
there was not universal support. In fact, it was
shot down by the first team to vote: Force India.
But, while rejecting the 2014 car allowance was
a blow to Manor, it was not a fatal one. It just
made life much more difficult.
The certainty of being able to race in
Melbourne with a 2014 car was replaced with a
67
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SEASON
Bianchi points
earned £30 million