John Booth still wants Manor GP on F1 grid this year

[John S]

He's working on team funding, true racer or plain crazy?       

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/212833/1/booth-manor-has-two-weeks-to-make-2015-f1-grid.html

[cosworth151]

Maybe a bit Quixotic but I hope he can pull it off. Manor/Marussia has always seemed to have the same spirit that made me a fan of Minardi and Super Aguri.

true racer or plain crazy?

They're both the same thing, John. 

[Scott]

I hope he does.  I really like Booth and Marussia's spirit.   

[Alianora La Canta]

Both. F1 needs more crazy and it definitely needs more racers!

[cosworth151]

It looks like Marussia F1 has $47 million in debts. That includes $25.2 million to Ferarri, $10.6 to McLaren, $1.5 million to Pirelli, $900,000 to Timo Glock and $4.7 million to Max Chilton's people.

http://www.racer.com/f1/item/112209-marussia-collapsed-with-ukp31m-debt

[Alianora La Canta]

£31m of debts... ...and £35m of Bernie money owed to them if they make Australia (money the team has never had before). It would be a plausible purchase for someone in a position to throw in another £50 m a year for running costs. That of course is the problem...

[Irisado]

I can't see it happening, and I'm very disappointed.  Having finished ninth, and finally having managed to get some money out of Ecclestone's miserly pickings for the midfield and back-of-the grid teams, you would think that someone would take an interest and buy the team.  This really is a very sad reflection on the current state of Formula 1.

[Andy B]

I'm puzzled. 
If the auction raise money from the sale of Marussia what are they going to race and where from? 

[Alianora La Canta]

The team still has Dinnington for its GP3 operation, which is why no GP3 stuff got sold in the previous auction. My guess is that they've got a second 2015 design somewhere - either that they've kept an "early draft" and sold Haas what would have been their final design, or the other way round. It would be a big push to get the car built in time for the final day of the test, but if they press "Go" before the January 21 auction, it should just be possible (in fact, that's probably why they picked January 21 for the final auction - note their GP3 stuff and critical race gear is in that sale).

[J.Clark]

Possible, but I think highly unlikely, much to my dismay.

This is reflective of the world economy right now in some ways.  People, most of them, haven't the money in the first place, and in the second, those who could afford it, are not as easily convinced to spend it - on ANYTHING, not just F1.

[Alianora La Canta]

Stop the presses! My plan B for buying a Marussia computer has been thwarted by a postponement of the January 21st auction*!

Details are rather thin on the ground at the moment, but let's face it, there aren't many things that could cause this - especially since everything to do with Marussia or Manor has to be out of there by the end of January because Haas' lease starts on February 1.

* - Well, I had to go for the local-interest angle

[John S]

John Booth's hopes of Manor GP on the grid will come to an end if the auction of critical infrastructure items goes ahead, according to Skysports.com.

Looks very much like the Manor F1 dream will now be consigned to F1 history, - oh what might have been. 

Any remaining hope that Marussia could return to the F1 grid this season will be extinguished if Wednesday’s auction of the team's equipment goes ahead, former boss Graeme Lowdon has admitted.

The Banbury-based outfit missed the final three races of the 2014 campaign after entering administration with debts in excess of £60m.

Although the FIA included the team under the name of ‘Manor F1’ on its provisional entry list for the 2015 campaign, time is poised to run out for the team – or at least what remains of it following an earlier auction in mid-December – on Wednesday when critical infrastructure items will be put up for sale.

“There have been some auctions already but none of the equipment that has been sold so far is essential for the team to go forward,” Lowdon told Sky Sports News HQ. “But if that equipment went next week it would be difficult.”

By Pete Gill, Skysports.com/f1, Today.

[Alianora La Canta]

The "critical infrastructure" auction (the importance of which you have completely correct) got postponed yesterday, John. It is entirely possible that 11th-hour salvation has come. Indeed, given that the place has to be cleared out one way or another by the end of the month, that's the most likely thing to have happened. We just don't know the details yet.

[F1fanaticBD]

We have seen some horrible bust of teams, but for some strange reason I feel a certain cringe for this team. There was something in this team, that always said, if anyone can make it from the back of the grid, it will be them. A heroic Vitaly Petrov did made them beaten by Caterham, but after that there was far more superiority of this team than Caterham, and they deserve to be the ninth team despite not participating in the final three races.
There is a question that always hovered around in my mind, did they know last year will be the year to bust?

[J.Clark]

I will be very disappointed if they can't get it worked out.  The grid needs more teams in my opinion.