Manor Marussia F1 recruits Will Stevens and targets the Australian GP
The Manor Marussia F1 team announced in a statement the recruitment of Will Stevens as a driver and reaffirmed its intention to be in Melbourne for the season opener.
A few weeks after its rescue and less than a week after exiting judicial administration, Manor Marussia F1 has strongly reaffirmed its intention to race in Melbourne, also announcing the signing of its first driver, Will Stevens.
An official statement from the team – named Manor Marussia F1 for the first time – published this Wednesday reports on the project’s progress. All the people involved in Manor are working flat out on the key elements of their challenge. The car with which Manor will start the season is now at an advanced stage of construction at the team’s facilities in Dinnington, where staff are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in preparation for the planned air shipment on March 6.
« As the discipline approaches the curtain-raiser of the season at the Australian Grand Prix in 18 days, Manor is now in a position to provide regular updates regarding its preparations for Melbourne and larger plans for the season, including information about its driver lineup, » can be read.
This is how Will Stevens, 23 years old, who participated in a Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi in 2014 with Caterham but had been with Marussia earlier last year as a reserve driver, was recruited. His teammate is expected to be announced soon.
In the absence of any tests, Manor Marussia should nevertheless benefit from the support of Ferrari – ready to supply 2014 engines, even if a regulatory uncertainty persists over the legality of such supply – and from the authorities since the FIA has stated that it will postpone the registration deadline as much as possible. Marussia will have to comply with the regulations to be able to commit after introducing a car specifically designed for the upcoming season’s regulations.
