Saturday, 18 April 2015

Could Prodrive link up with the Manor F1 Team?



The Manor F1 Team head into this afternoon’s qualifying session for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix having brought both cars home last time out in China.

As the outfit went out on track in Bahrain for Free Practice three this morning Sky Sports F1 reported that Prodrive owner and former Formula One team boss Dave Richards had been spotted in the back of the Manor Marussia garage speaking with new team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.

This led to the question being asked are the Manor Marussia F1 Team looking to do a deal with Prodrive.

Richards who has been involved in top level motorsport for many years both Formula One and more recently the World Rally Championship and the LeMans 24 Hours had looked to enter Formula One as a constructor in 2010 but was unsuccessful in his bid to bring the Prodrive name into the sport. The Manor Marussia are currently looking for a new operations base after their old factory in Banbury was sold at auction to the Haas F1 Team who will enter Formula One next season.

Richards has just opened a new base in the UK so could it be a case that the Manor Marussia F1 Team do a deal with Prodrive to rent a premises from them and use some of their equipment?
The team still maintain a technical partnership with McLaren and of course they have their power unit deal with Ferrari. It is more likely however that Dave Richards is just at the Grand Prix as a spectator and stopped in to say hello to the Manor Marussia F1 Team.

In related news, Manor Marussia F1 Team Principal John Booth has confirmed that the team’s 2015 car will makes its debut following the Summer break in August as they haven’t had time to work on the car due to the first four fly away races but they will use the three week break between Bahrain and the start of the European season in Spain to get down to work on the new car. They are currently using an interim 2014 car which fully complies with the 2015 FIA Technical regulations.

© Ben Johnston 2015

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