After seeing the confirmation of the entry of the Manor Marussis F1 Team in the official 2015 F1 World championship entry list (Autosport article here), I couldn't help but be intrigued to find out who would be so bold as to try and force themselves into F1 off the back of the tattered remains of the now bankrupt Marussia team. As it turns out, it is a Stephen Fitzpatrick, heralding from Northern Ireland and the owner and founder of energy firm OVO (cheaper alternative gas and electricity supplier - as confirmed on the BBC here). Whilst having no connection to the now defunct Marussia, the new team have had to retain the name so as to qualify for the £30 mln share of the prize money Marussia were entitled to thanks to Jules bianchi's 9th place achieved in Monaco last year.
Interestingly again, there also is talk of ex-Sansbury CEO Justin King's involvement in running of the new team, which could prove beneficial given his previous business success and passion for motorsport / F1 as borne out by his son's upcoming participation in GP2 this year.
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| Jordan King - competing in GP2 in 2015 for Racing Engineering |
The new team's website (link here) looks as well finished as their 2015 cars are likely to be, given the short space of time that has been available for the team to prepare for the upcoming season. After Force India's veto against allowing Manor to use the 2014 spec' Marussia F1 cars for the beginning of the 2015 season, the new team have had to redesign parts of the 2014 car so as to conform to the majority of the 2015 rules. In particular, a new, lower nose has had to be designed and crash tested. Reports indicate that this task has been successfully completed which is a remarkable feat in itself! Being born and raised in England, I myself am naturally drawn to supporting this new underdog of the pinnacle of motorsport and wish F1's newest team the best of luck - I hope they have a long and successful life in the ever unpredictable world of Formula 1! ; )
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