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F1 News & Discussions => F1 Teams => Topic started by: cosworth151 on February 19, 2015, 08:29:30 PM

Title: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: cosworth151 on February 19, 2015, 08:29:30 PM
The former Marussia teams plans to return to the grid by Bahrain. A statement from administrators FRP Advisory said, “The joint administrators confirm the requisite approval by the company's creditors on 19 February 2015 to a company voluntary arrangement, which allows for control of the company to be passed back to the directors and the company to exit from administration.

“The financial restructuring creates a platform for the company to continue with its plans to participate once again within Formula One.”

I hope they make it. They're a scrappy little team that punches above its weight.

http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/manor-closer-survival-directors-regain-contro
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: F1fanaticBD on February 20, 2015, 08:10:04 PM
Doesn't they give you a hint of the spirit that once Mirardi used to be in the paddock. I think that is the thing that kept going for this team, they never give up, may be scrappy, may unorthodox, and at times very comical, but they just never stop the push, and that is what I like about them the most.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Alianora La Canta on February 21, 2015, 08:54:51 AM
I am really glad to hear Manor have been given the green flag to do the preparations necessary to reach the grid. I hear a crash test for a 2015-valid car has already been booked (but not what the date was).
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: cosworth151 on February 21, 2015, 03:06:12 PM
It looks like they may have an engine deal with Ferrari:

http://www.racer.com/f1/item/113621-manor-agrees-ferrari-engine-deal
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Alianora La Canta on February 24, 2015, 05:40:09 PM
This pleases me too :)
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: John S on February 25, 2015, 01:21:35 PM
Manor is now saying they'll be on the grid in Oz.  :swoon:

Now that's fighting spirit.  :good: 

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/02/25/manor-intend-to-race-in-melbourne-with-stevens/
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: cosworth151 on February 25, 2015, 01:29:18 PM
Fantastic! This team is really starting to remind me of two of my favorite teams: Minardi & Super Agruri.   :yahoo:
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Alianora La Canta on February 25, 2015, 02:08:58 PM
On the grid with Will Stevens. He impressed me a lot in Abu Dhabi and I'm pleased someone is in a position to give Will a proper chance.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: cosworth151 on February 25, 2015, 09:00:47 PM
They have a Facebook page up:

https://www.facebook.com/ManorRacing
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Scott on February 26, 2015, 12:23:50 PM
Really great news...I hope they make it, and last the season.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Irisado on February 26, 2015, 05:52:55 PM
It's great news indeed :).  I'm very happy to have seen the news regarding Manor this morning.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: cosworth151 on February 26, 2015, 09:36:59 PM
It looks like they're getting help from high places. Not just Ferrari, but also McLaren & even the FIA:

http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/fia-quietly-helping-manors-quest-2015-f1-grid
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Irisado on February 28, 2015, 06:45:21 PM
It does seem that some in Formula 1 have finally woken up to the fact that they actually need a minimum of 20 cars to ward off the prospect of three car teams and even greater expense.  It has all come rather late in the day, but at least some support is finally being offered.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Dare on March 02, 2015, 04:15:34 AM
Why not have 2 one car teams?Bring back the true privateers
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Jericoke on March 02, 2015, 04:25:59 PM
Why not have 2 one car teams?Bring back the true privateers

Has there been any team that recently itemized their operating budget?  Is building a second car a huge cost? 

I would think that the r&d of the car itself, plus shipping costs and the cost of mechanics, engineers and crew both at 'home base' and race weekends take up most of the budget. 

And surely a sponsor wants twice as much exposure for their $$$.

However, I've said elsewhere that F1 should allow 1/2/3 car teams to create opportunities for teams to grow into the sport without being tossed in the deep end.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Alianora La Canta on March 05, 2015, 10:44:37 AM
4 teams gave a limited itemisation of costs as an average (http://www.racer.com/latest-stories/item/110291-why-small-teams-can-t-afford-f1?pop=1&print=1&tmpl=component&hidediscuss=1) (Force India, Sauber, Caterham and Marussia/Manor), though car build was separated into different parts and in some cases combined with R&D (which wouldn't change for the number of cars).

I will halve the power system, tyres, freight and fuel/fluids cost (they were all customer teams).

I will take 2/5 off the chassis production costs. This is because small teams typically have 5 chassis (except if they have a crash magnet driving for them), including one crash test/general test car and 2 chassis per "race car" per season.

I will take 1/3 off gearbox/hydraulics (they have some R&D costs to meet because they typically design their hydraulic systems but not the gearboxes).

I will take 1/4 off electronics (these are mostly designed in-house, meaning R&D's basically the same no matter how many cars are involved, and I'm generously guessing production cost).

Salaries will be cut by 1/25 because the only staff likely to be able to be released would be the secondary pit crew (12 out of a minimum of 200 staff) and even that's not clear because everyone on the F1 travelling team does at least two jobs - their weekend one and their set-up/take-down one.

Travel and trackside facilities will be unchanged because the costs are essentially fixed by the travel team count and FIA fees. Windtunnel/CFD fees are R&D and also unchanged. IT, utilities/factory maintenance, HR and professional services are tied into the size of staff and facility, plus fixed fees because it's an F1 team, so don't change either.

This converts the figures to a hypothetical one-car team cost of:

Hybrid power system $14 million
Gearbox and hydraulics $3.67 million
Fuel and lubricants $0.75 million
Tires $0.9 million
Electronics $1.53 million
IT $3 million
Salaries $19.2 million
Travel and trackside facilities $12 million
Chassis production/manufacturing $10 million
Wind tunnel/CFD facilities $18.5 million
Utilities and factory maintenance $2 million
HR and professional services $1.5 million
Freight $2.5 million
TOTAL $89.55 million

You can make the costs reduce by a third by having a one-car team... ...but the most you could possibly get would be three-quarters the amount a two-car team gets (50% of general team payments are on championship position, the other 50% on individual results... ...for which two cars' positions are counted). A team unable to get into the top 10 would be limited to 50% of what a two-car team could get.

Add to that the fact that pay drivers are a major income item, meaning you'd lose a significant income stream if only using one car, and that non-trade sponsors are likelt to pay half as much for space on a one-car team, and the equation falls over very, very quickly.

Three-car team permissions for the back half of the grid (with all 3 cars allowed to score championship points) would probably work better.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Scott on March 10, 2015, 07:40:15 AM
Roberto Merhi To partner Will Stevens in the Manor.  Nice to see they ave the full lineup.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/31808243
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: John S on March 10, 2015, 09:50:33 AM
At last we have the full grid of 20 drivers, well 21 if you count Alonso.  :yahoo: Now let's get racing.

Can't remember the last time we waited this long to know the full grid for the opening race, not sure if it's improved the run in to the first race  - or if it's just plain embarrassing for the pinnacle of motorsport.  :DntKnw:

 
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Jericoke on March 10, 2015, 02:30:02 PM
At last we have the full grid of 20 drivers, well 21 if you count Alonso.  :yahoo: Now let's get racing.

Can't remember the last time we waited this long to know the full grid for the opening race, not sure if it's improved the run in to the first race  - or if it's just plain embarrassing for the pinnacle of motorsport.  :DntKnw:

 

Didn't we wait this long to find out if Brawn could race?
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: John S on March 10, 2015, 03:28:38 PM

Didn't we wait this long to find out if Brawn could race?

I know it seems it was as close, but Brawn was confirmed with it's driver line up 2 weeks before the actual race, more if you count the days before waiting for FIA confirmations. 
The eleventh hour Manor scramble to get cars crash tested & ready to ship, or the 6 days from race start for the driver confirmation, is still a modern record I think.

Others in the past have made hard work of getting to the first race, some have missed the race entirely, but apart from Brawn & Manor their entries for the F1 season were registered well before hand; - or not in the case of Phoenix finance buyers of defunct Prost team in 2002, they simply had trouble convincing the FIA to let them race without paying the $48m bond as they were declared a new team. 

 
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Irisado on March 13, 2015, 11:31:27 AM
Minardi was very late onto the grid for the start of the 2001 season.  Paul Stoddart taking the team over just in time.  Alonso was nominated quite early on, but I'm pretty sure the second driver (Marques) was not confirmed until a few days before Melbourne.

Mehri is apparently only contracted to participate in the first few races, so he may not drive for the whole season.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Alianora La Canta on March 13, 2015, 01:37:43 PM
Brawn actually managed to make it to a whole test (where it spent the week being accused of running on fumes or running an illegally light car, such was its pace). Even Force India was later off the marks than Brawn in terms of preparation, let alone Manor! That said, 2009 started relatively late, and the final test of the 2009 season was the second week of March. (The first race of 2009 was the absurdly late date of March 29th).

Manor would have been this late when it was Virgin in 2010 (as were all the other new teams) and Hispania were habitually late in their three years. Minardi did indeed do a 50 km shakedown. (Oh, and let's not forget the comical instance of Stefan GP, who took their entire kit and caboodle to Bahrain 2010 despite not being on the relevant entry list).

Merhi has a Formula 3.5 contract and would need to be bought out of it to race beyond the first four flyaways. I imagine the amount would be fairly low if Robert proved to be someone with whom Manor wanted a longer-term relationship.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Irisado on March 13, 2015, 08:12:36 PM
That explains his contract length then.  Thank you.  I was wondering if there was a specific reason behind it.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Scott on March 15, 2015, 12:25:25 PM
Unfortunately Manor was unable to start the race because they had trouble uploading software that they had dumped during the company's administration.  I think Ali said she was going to buy one of their computers in an auction...she could have at least sent them back their software for this race  ;) ;) :D :D

Thankfully there will be no penalty, and hopefully they will have the cars sorted out by Malaysia.

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/215567/1/manor-cleared-over-australian-gp-noshow.html

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/215567/1/manor-cleared-over-australian-gp-noshow.html
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Irisado on March 17, 2015, 01:09:30 PM
I'm pleased that no penalty was applied.  It's clear that the team was trying its best.  They wouldn't send a full staff out to Australia not to bother racing at all, so I can imagine that they were very frustrated not to get on track.  I really hope that they will run in Malaysia.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Alianora La Canta on March 17, 2015, 02:21:41 PM
I too hope that Manor runs. Going all that way and not racing must be a nightmare.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: John S on March 17, 2015, 02:30:54 PM
I'm pleased that no penalty was applied.  It's clear that the team was trying its best.  They wouldn't send a full staff out to Australia not to bother racing at all, so I can imagine that they were very frustrated not to get on track.  I really hope that they will run in Malaysia.

It's not the view that Bernie's taken, he reckons they never tried to start.  :o

http://www.grandprixtimes.com/news/display/10014

Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Alianora La Canta on March 17, 2015, 03:33:23 PM
He reckons wrong, but if he's taken that line, I think that also means that Manor misses the first part of their payment for 2014 (as it's tied to participation in 2015).
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: F1fanaticBD on March 17, 2015, 06:27:07 PM
I was very glad to see these teams at least on the track, they have really fought hard to make it to the grid of the Australian Grand Prix. I really hope they make some improvements to make it to the race for Malaysia.
Title: Re: Manor Plans To Return by Bahrain
Post by: Irisado on March 18, 2015, 12:42:27 PM
Ecclestone is just out to put all teams he doesn't want on the grid out of business.  I have no time for his views whatsoever.
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