Manor has dismissed as "nonsense" rumours it only had the ability to run one car at a time last weekend in Malaysia. The governing FIA and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had reportedly warned the resurrected former Marussia team after Australia that another weekend spent silent in the pits would not be tolerated.
Engines duly fired at Sepang, but only Roberto Merhi actually took to Sunday's grid, as the sister car driven by Will Stevens succumbed to a "fuel system" problem before qualifying that could not be fixed for the race. According to the paddock grapevine, however, there is more to the story.
Ecclestone had slammed as "disgusting" Manor's 2015 campaign so far, amid rumours the team is only showing up at races to collect millions in official prize money it qualified for last season. So after Manor failed to get either car running in Melbourne, the suggestion now is that the team only had the means to run one car at a time in Malaysia.
According to Auto Motor und Sport's Michael Schmidt, that may be because Manor only had a single copy of the 2015 engine software necessary to run last year's customer Ferrari power units. So while it was possible to run one car one at a time in practice, once the parc ferme regulations came into force for qualifying and beyond, one driver - Briton Stevens - was permanently relegated to the pits.
Deputy team boss Graeme Lowdon dismissed the rumours as "nonsense", but Speed Week also reports that Manor is currently little more than a shell of a team, with a mere 30 employees working at Dinnington. But Force India's Bob Fernley, having earlier blocked Manor's attempts to field fully 2014-spec cars this season, confirmed the suspicions of the paddock that running just one car in Malaysia was a "clear strategy" by Manor.
Even Sepang boss Razlan Razali denounced Manor's 2015 campaign so far as a "joke". "If you're not ready, you're not ready, don't participate," he told AFP. "It makes a mockery out of the sport, I think." (GMM)
Manor's one-car Sepang race was a 'clear strategy'
- Published on 02 Apr 2015 09:28
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Nike reportedly working on F1 return after two decadesNike is exploring a return to Formula 1 after more than two decades away from the paddock, with early-stage talks cen...
01 Sep 2026 16:25 -
How Liam Lawson's Zandvoort drive may have rescued his F1 futureLiam Lawson may have salvaged his Formula 1 career with a composed performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, according to ...
01 Sep 2026 15:23 -
Sainz baffled by Verstappen's thoughts on early F1 retirementCarlos Sainz has expressed genuine confusion at Max Verstappen's repeated consideration of early retirement from ...
01 Sep 2026 14:21 -
Why Lando Norris' New McLaren Role Could Pressure PiastriLando Norris has signalled his intention to become McLaren's undisputed leader, citing growing influence over tea...
01 Sep 2026 13:20 -
Betting on the F1 season: reading the odds and building a race-day strategyFollowing an entire Formula 1 season means constantly reassessing the competitive order. A car that excels through Mo...
01 Sep 2026 14:23
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
4 - Sep 6
Italy
Monza
Driver profile
- Team Marussia
- Points 0
- Podiums 0
- Grand Prix 19
- Country GB
- Date of b. Jun 28 1991 (35)
- Place of b. Roachford, GB
- Weight 63 kg
- Length 1.71 m
- 3,587 comments on Marussia
1 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Will Stevens
Team profile
- Team name Force India
- Base Silverstone, India
- Sergio Perez 11
- Sergio Perez 11
- Nico Hülkenberg 12
- Adrian Sutil 14
- Adrian Sutil 15
- Lance Stroll 18
- Adrian Sutil 20
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Esteban Ocon 31
- Esteban Ocon 31
- 96,021 comments on Force India
- 8 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Force India
Replies (0)
Login to reply