The 2015 season is off to a stuttering start in Melbourne, with only 8 of the 10 teams actually firing up their engines in Friday practice. Sauber is embroiled in the Giedo van der Garde chaos, while the engines at resurrected Manor stayed silent for entirely different reasons.
After its computers were wiped clean for sale amid administration, Manor is now in frantic talks with engine supplier Ferrari to re-install crucial data that will allow the complex 'power units' to even be fired up. "Just because we're here doesn't mean you just turn the key and go," boss Graeme Lowdon told Britain's Sky.
It is rumoured Manor's operational issues are so complex the team may not be ready to turn a wheel for several races. "We just have to keep working through methodically," said Lowdon, who said Manor will do its "absolute best" to be able to qualify and race in Melbourne. As the other cars practiced on Friday, Manor confirmed: "Today was effectively our first day of testing".
So even if the software problems can be resolved, the team is facing a shopping list of other problems. There are rumours the British government is still pursuing the team for unpaid taxes. Other speculation suggests Ferrari is also pushing for bills to be paid.
And then there is the matter of the hurriedly-modified 2014 car, powered by the similarly year-old Ferrari engine. Asked if the 107 per cent qualifying rule might be a problem, driver Will Stevens admitted: "It depends how much faster the guys at the top have become."
Winter testing suggests the field has moved forward by a factor of at least two seconds per lap. "We're going to do the best job we can," said Stevens, "but whether that's within 107pc or not I don't know." (GMM)
Manor: "Today was effectively our first day of testing"
- Published on 13 Mar 2015 09:18
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Driver profile
- Team Marussia
- Points 0
- Podiums 0
- Grand Prix 19
- Country GB
- Date of b. Jun 28 1991 (34)
- Place of b. Roachford, GB
- Weight 63 kg
- Length 1.71 m
- 3,587 comments on Marussia
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Team profile
- Team name Sauber
- Base - Switzerland
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Kimi Räikkönen 7
- Felipe Massa 8
- Marcus Ericsson 9
- Nico Hülkenberg 11
- Felipe Nasr 12
- Esteban Gutierrez 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Kamui Kobayashi 14
- Sergio Perez 15
- Charles Leclerc 16
- Kamui Kobayashi 16
- Sergio Perez 17
- Kimi Räikkönen 17
- Esteban Gutierrez 21
- Kamui Kobayashi 23
- Guanyu Zhou 24
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Antonio Giovinazzi 36
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- Pascal Wehrlein 94
- Adrian Sutil 99
- 115,816 comments on Sauber
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