[Team] Marussia - what next?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by p-matt

Will has gone very quiet, which makes me think it's between Rossi and Haryanto. And probably down to if Haryanto can stump up the cash or not

Not sure how good Rossi is ultimately but he does seem quick-ish. I'd like to see him get it for the year so we can get a better idea if he has real F1 future.

If there were 3-4 more teams guys like Stevens and Haryanto would still get a drive I'm sure

[bella]

yeah, i'm pro-rossi on this one too. he's exactly the kind of driver f1 in north america needs. he comes across very well and he did well last year (from this side of the fence anyway).

stevens did a good job too, much like chilton the year before. i'm inclined to believe that stevens did have a size and weight advantage to merhi last season, but ultimately perhaps it comes down to one being more prepared than the other for modern f1? it's a very weird place.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by bella

yeah, i'm pro-rossi on this one too. he's exactly the kind of driver f1 in north america needs. he comes across very well and he did well last year (from this side of the fence anyway).

stevens did a good job too, much like chilton the year before. i'm inclined to believe that stevens did have a size and weight advantage to merhi last season, but ultimately perhaps it comes down to one being more prepared than the other for modern f1? it's a very weird place.

😁 yes one has to look the part in F1 these says and Will certainly did that!!

[old man]

In his day Stevens was THE man in a kart but when his Honda connection fizzled out and he had to prove himself in R 3.5 it did not quite work out despite being in a good team. He did not impress like Magnussen or Saintz and may not have the wedge to swing the second seat as Mercedes are said to "only" be putting $5million into the Manor budget. If earlier statements on here that they need $24m from drivers is correct that leaves a need for $19m from #2 driver, a big ask in an unproven new set up

[Moneyseeker]

Manor could become Mercedes B Team according to Toto Wolff and they will have access to the Mercedes wind tunnel this year.

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns33075.html

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

Manor could become Mercedes B Team according to Toto Wolff and they will have access to the Mercedes wind tunnel this year.

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns33075.html

Is this the way F1 is going? Manor to be Mercedes' B Team, Haas to be Ferrari's B Team?

[djinvicta]

I think Williams kick a bit more ass engine wise with Merc than Manor..
But, it looks good if Merc can pull a small team into midfield, it helps the show!

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Is this the way F1 is going? Manor to be Mercedes' B Team, Haas to be Ferrari's B Team?

arguably it has been two tiered for some time now with have and have not teams but it does look like the relationships between 'A' and 'B' teams are becoming more formalized.

on one hand im happy that Manor (and Haas) will benefit from this and it does benefit the show. personally i have always enjoyed Sauber and STR and think they deserve to be on the same grid as their A-team counterparts.

on the other hand i worry that the process of formalization of such arraignments actually gives us less competition. with the exception of STR's lone win, B squads are not actually competitive outfits (capable of winning) but we have that already so i guess its not that big of a deal.

Mclaren are insulated due to their partnership with Honda but i do worry that Williams and their desire to be a true independent have left them caught in the middle...unless they too accept some sort of 'B' squad designation which they wont of course because they are a real team.

[BSchneiderFan]

The bottom line for Williams is that they have to design a better chassis than Mercedes. They have the same engine, so the winning edge - Mark Donohue's famous unfair advantage - has to come from the chassis. Are Massa and Bottas potential champions? In my view, absolutely. Can Williams pull a title-winning car out of the bag while spending less than the big boys? That's the big question. Brawn did in 2009, but those were very unusual circumstances.

[chillibowl]

totally and thats what i like. the onus is on the team to build something great. and also agree about the quality of Massa and Bottas.

with B-squads the question is will they be allowed to/can they afford to buy something great....and while that is not horrible its not really inspiring either.

off topic but love this time of year, launches and winter testing. for me there is this optimism that Williams will show up with a game changer and reset the balance between privateer and works efforts.

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

The bottom line for Williams is that they have to design a better chassis than Mercedes. They have the same engine, so the winning edge - Mark Donohue's famous unfair advantage - has to come from the chassis. Are Massa and Bottas potential champions? In my view, absolutely. Can Williams pull a title-winning car out of the bag while spending less than the big boys? That's the big question. Brawn did in 2009, but those were very unusual circumstances.

It probably needs a different mindset at Williams, they are prone to simple operational errors (wrong tyre brought out at pitstop for example) and ten to run a cautious strategy as they need and want to harvest points.

The top 3 to 5 places are likely to be much closer as McLaren will surely be better as will Red Bull and STR plus FI. Despite their best intentions and ambitions this might actually make them even more risk averse. Who knows?

[Hawkwood]

Haven't seen this posted yet:
http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/02/...driver-option/
Manor could be about to sign Rossi, Stevens, and Haryanto for around 5 millions euros each.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Hawkwood

Haven't seen this posted yet:
http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/02/...driver-option/
Manor could be about to sign Rossi, Stevens, and Haryanto for around 5 millions euros each.

I read this earlier today, and I must admit that I find the logic behind this, if this is what they actually do, baffling. Lets us assume driver A takes two or three races to start to get to grips with the car, and then slowly improves to the point that he is exceeding anyones' expectations in race 7.

Driver B then takes over, but fails to ever come to terms with the car in his seven races. Following him, driver C finds his feet, but never really shines in any of his races.

What benefit, apart from $21 million, has Manor derived from this process, except to let every other team know that driver A should be snatched up!

[Richard C]

I would assume that the money is attractive to the team and if you are the smallest fish, do you really care more about driver retention than survival?

Overall, it is interesting concept and I am sure those who follow the history of mid-season driver changes can say if this is the first of this exact scenario (blatant pay for partial season drive at start of season) or not. But it sounds like they are becoming the "Arrive and Drive" provider for F1! Given it appears that per the rules you can have as many as four drivers in a season and the season is long, why not? (saying that a bit tongue in cheek).

I do think it sets a bad precedent for the future and a complete mockery of the concept of a drivers championship. Outside of the rule that says only four drivers and super-license difficulties, why not just run a different driver each race? It sounds like the per race "fee" might not be that bad! I need to setup a GoFundMe so that I can give it a try! Maybe the FIA should consider putting a price tag on super-licenses as well.

Richard

[Mike Harte]

Haryanto now confirmed as their second driver; no mentions of a third or fourth one.

[old man]

So now we know, Haryanto is the second driver according to Autosport this morning. It seems neither Stevens nor Rossi could meet his budget contribution.

Question now for those two guys is; where now?

[old man]

Sorry, duplicate post

[steve_r]

The answer to: Where now? - Is hopefully a damn sight closer to the other cars, and hopefully Q1 will be more unpredictable than the last couple of seasons.

A pay driver who was good enough for a few wins in GP2, plus a Mercedes driver who is DTM champion. Manor were never going to have the most exciting driver line-up on the grid, but I think that these two should do the car justice. Do they have enough experience to develop the car though?

[peebee2]

Don't be too shocked if the "new" Manor looks like the 2014 Mercedes with a Williams gearbox and transmission...

[knighty]

despite Booth and Lowdon walking I still think Manor are in fine shape for a good 2016 season, they have Dave Ryan who is no fool, I'm sure Bob Bell must have done something positive for them in his short stay, Nicolas Tombazis who is the ex-Ferrari aero chief, so yes I believe they have the talent to develop the chassis through the 2016 season for sure......they have the works mercedes engine, I doubt the car will handle all that well to start with, but I'm sure it will be pounding down the straights like a rocket, so I would not be surprised to see them score a point or two.......I think they look really strong for 2016 in comparison to previous years......I'm sure they have plenty of other un-named technical staff that have come in from top teams who really know what to do, and they are probably being given free-reign to do what they need to do, due to a generally low head-count......it will be interesting to watch for sure.

[S griffin]

I agree. Tight budget, but should make a few surprises. Wehrlein is a very taleneted driver and Haryanto is no slouch having won in GP2. And they've got a good team behind them. Here's to a good season guys

[Formulahistory]

Originally Posted by old man

So now we know, Haryanto is the second driver according to Autosport this morning. It seems neither Stevens nor Rossi could meet his budget contribution.

Question now for those two guys is; where now?

perhaps LMP2 with Manor.

[old man]

Yes, I think that is possible for Stevens but will Rossi not be tempted to take his "Former F1 Driver" label into the USA? I somehow think Stevens will be very downhearted just now and so will his backers, they invested a lot over the last few years and now that dream is over, alarm clock time

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by old man

Yes, I think that is possible for Stevens but will Rossi not be tempted to take his "Former F1 Driver" label into the USA? I somehow think Stevens will be very downhearted just now and so will his backers, they invested a lot over the last few years and now that dream is over, alarm clock time

Not specific to Stevens, but I wonder why people invest in drivers who are very unlikely to earn anything at all as a driver let alone repay the investment with a profit. Will was only ever going to remain in F1 by paying and it is probably the same for anything else he will sit in, unless he ends up as pro driver in WEC and there is already a queue of young drivers heading in that direction and the earnings are going to be small fry.

[old man]

Stevens was a very talented junior golfer and chose between the two sports. He was going very well indeed in karting and Honda gave him a sort of Hamilton deal until they withdrew

Perhaps he will try golf again 😀