Manor F1 gets closer thanks to its aerodynamic developments
For once, Manor has introduced aerodynamic upgrades to its cars. The estimated gain of about one second has allowed Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi to close the gap with the rest of the field.
The last few days have been synonymous with good news for Manor: after securing the arrival of a second sponsor, Flex Box, the small British team has – modestly – improved the aerodynamics of its cars, which has allowed them to increase their pace by about a second. Although the Sauber cars remain about two seconds behind the Manor, the underdogs of the grid have shown that they are not completely out of the development race.
The pace between the two drivers of the team was noticeably different. The local of the event, Will Stevens, was a second and a half faster than his teammate Roberto Merhi in both Friday sessions. It’s a pretty good start for our national Grand Prix this weekend [Manor’s factory is very close to Silverstone, ed.]. The new developments of our car seem to be working well and there is certainly more to come. The balance of the car is good.
Outpaced by his teammate, Roberto Merhi knew that the Manor’s developments benefited him just as much: « It was really good to test the new aero developments we have for this weekend. However, I am not yet very satisfied with the car, and I am sure we can continue to improve before qualifying ».
John Booth is satisfied with the overall strategy of his team but highlighted the performance difference between his young drivers: I am very happy with our first day on track, with what represents a substantial evolution. Our development elements seem to be working well and have translated on the track with the expected performance gain. Will, in particular, seems pleased with the car balance we found, whereas Roberto is not quite comfortable yet.
