RIP Manor Racing (2010-2017)

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 06 Aug 2011, 23:57

AdrianSutil wrote:Have they got any decent testers within the team?

Wickens.

But it would be no use replacing Custard halfway through the season with another rookie; I think he's doing fine and if they're going to replace him it should be obvious that they should take $AKON ¥AMAMOTO.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 07 Aug 2011, 00:53

Waris wrote:
AdrianSutil wrote:Have they got any decent testers within the team?

Wickens.

But it would be no use replacing Custard halfway through the season with another rookie; I think he's doing fine and if they're going to replace him it should be obvious that they should take $AKON ¥AMAMOTO.

S951 · Post by **S951** » 07 Aug 2011, 11:11

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/90/avi3458.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/avi3339.jpg

Sakon Says - "Hi Guys I'm Back!"

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 01 Sep 2011, 17:30

As resident Virgin fan, I feel compelled to announce the new update package that will appear on the cars for Monza- an entirely new rear end, including a Monza-spec rear wing.

The all-telling article on Autosport.

The question is, will it get them closer to Team Lotus, and for that matter, the established midfield?

I very much hope so!

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 02 Sep 2011, 00:42

HRT said already like weeks ago that they were bringing a Monza spec package to the F111. So old news :p

Expecting HRT to be ahead of Virgin. The F111 has had the advantage over the MVR-02 at all of the less aerodynamic-dependent tracks.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 02 Sep 2011, 05:10

That's mostly because Hispania have no aerodynamics to begin with.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 02 Sep 2011, 07:55

You sir, have just made my day :lol:

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 02 Sep 2011, 08:24

That's right. I'm a day-maker.

I just wish I'd spelt "mostly" right.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 02 Sep 2011, 10:08

Peter wrote:HRT said already like weeks ago that they were bringing a Monza spec package to the F111. So old news :p

Expecting HRT to be ahead of Virgin. The F111 has had the advantage over the MVR-02 at all of the less aerodynamic-dependent tracks.

No it's not a Monza-spec package, it's new floor, sidepods, engine cover, etc which will be used at all the remaining races for the season. The fact it coincides with Monza just means that on top of that they'll be bringing the Monza-spec rear wing and other gubbins too.

Post by **mario** » 02 Sep 2011, 12:33

AndreaModa wrote:
Peter wrote:HRT said already like weeks ago that they were bringing a Monza spec package to the F111. So old news :p

Expecting HRT to be ahead of Virgin. The F111 has had the advantage over the MVR-02 at all of the less aerodynamic-dependent tracks.

No it's not a Monza-spec package, it's new floor, sidepods, engine cover, etc which will be used at all the remaining races for the season. The fact it coincides with Monza just means that on top of that they'll be bringing the Monza-spec rear wing and other gubbins too.

As they pointed out, it's actually an old package that was supposed to have been brought in for Silverstone, but was shelved whilst Symmonds restructured the team and shifted the development focus of the team mostly towards 2012.

As for who might be ahead of who, well, to be honest it might be fairly close between HRT and Virgin Racing, depending on the effectiveness of this upgrade package and HRT's planned Monza spec package. To be honest, though, overall I'd expect the relative performance of the teams to be roughly the same as they've been in the earlier parts of the season - HRT and Virgin Racing might be a little closer this weekend, but Team Lotus will probably remain ahead of them (in part because you suspect that the Renault engine is superior to the Cosworth engine, and the drivers spend so much of their time on full throttle that a weaker engine will stand out more here).
Besides, thinking back to the announcements that HRT made around Silverstone, hasn't development work on the F111 effectively ceased? They definitely indicated that development would stop shortly after Silverstone, save for the developments that they'd already scheduled for later that season (i.e. aero packages for Hungary, Spa and Monza), so it's possible that this last upgrade package for Virgin Racing will put them ahead of HRT for the rest of the season.

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 03 Sep 2011, 02:46

Captain Hammer wrote:That's mostly because Hispania have no aerodynamics to begin with.

I have to admit, that made me laugh :lol:

But come on, you've got to admit, they've got something going for them now in the aero department.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 08 Sep 2011, 13:13

Renault and Toro Rosso aren't the only ones signing up sponsors at the moment!

Belgian firm Soleco joins for the remainder of 2011.

By the way, if anyone's interested in where Virgin are currently relocating to, it's this building here on the south-western corner of the roundabout. Here's a view from the road, though when the GSV car went past it was still up for sale. There's now MVR logos on the fences around the building and seemingly lots of activity going on inside!

JeanDenisAlcatraz · Post by **JeanDenisAlcatraz** » 12 Sep 2011, 19:39

Just round the corner from Prodrive.

Do I smell a tie-up?

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 13 Sep 2011, 00:38

Dave Richards has been linked to a buy-out of Renault.

Proximity does not equal certainty.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 16 Sep 2011, 17:04

To be honest, I don't think replacing d'ambrosio would do any good either. He's had a good, if not great rookie year, and we should give him the chance to prove himself in a better car before making further judgement. Bruno Senna has shown us the wisdom of that (although I still remain unconvinced that he is any more worthy of a drive, than, say, Roamain Grosjean, Luca Filippi, Rob Wickens etc.)

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 17 Sep 2011, 03:54

Exactly. Virgin are in the process of a major technical overhaul at the moment, so swapping their driver lineup will probably do more harm than good.

solarcold · Post by **solarcold** » 02 Jan 2012, 16:12

I've got a question.
How do you guys outside there pronounce the word "Marussia"?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
1. [mah-roo-sya] (like the russian name)
2. [mah-rah-shah] (like Ma + Russia)

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 02 Jan 2012, 17:59

I don't like number 1, so I use number 2!

Apparently they have a car in the entrance to the factory now, so I really fancy popping down there and taking a photo or two!

solarcold · Post by **solarcold** » 02 Jan 2012, 18:08

Oh wow, what a surprise

Then I'll just inform it's originally pronounced "mah-rOO-sya"

And oh, good luck with that:) I by the way remember I had a dream where I went to Moscow and found the HRT factory there and took photos too.

Post by **Ataxia** » 02 Jan 2012, 19:45

I've been saying it the first way...good thing I don't have to change it

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 02 Jan 2012, 22:45

AndreaModa wrote:Apparently they have a car in the entrance to the factory now, so I really fancy popping down there and taking a photo or two!

It will probably be a B1 or a B2.

Marussia B1:

Marussia B2:

I have to admit, I do kind of like the styling of the B2. Very Dath Vader.

So it will be either one of those or a show car dressed up in a Marussia livery, probably the MVR-02 or the ex-Super Aguri show car they have been using for demos in Sochi.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 02 Jan 2012, 23:40

Haha no I meant an F1 car! :lol:

I'm guessing it's a VR-01, but having not seen it, it could be any combination of spare parts, a bit like the Red Bull show cars are these days!

AdrianSutil · Post by **AdrianSutil** » 03 Jan 2012, 02:12

I've been pronouncing it: Mah-roo-she-ah! I'm obviously wrong :shock:

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 03 Jan 2012, 07:27

Most of the versions I've heard are "mah-roo-shee-uh", but sometimes I hear "mah-roos-jah".

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 03 Jan 2012, 10:45

Apparently I've been saying the 1st because it is closer to the Portuguese way. And it is the right way or so it seems. It looks like people who said Portuguese, when spoken, sounded similar to Russian were right all along.

solarcold · Post by **solarcold** » 03 Jan 2012, 15:20

DanielPT wrote:Apparently I've been saying the 1st because it is closer to the Portuguese way. And it is the right way or so it seems. It looks like people who said Portuguese, when spoken, sounded similar to Russian were right all along.

Confirm.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 03 Jan 2012, 18:25

AndreaModa wrote:I don't like number 1, so I use number 2!
Apparently they have a car in the entrance to the factory now, so I really fancy popping down there and taking a photo or two!

Exhibits A and B show a VR-01 decked out in the livery of the 02.

The first shows the colours better, the second is better to show the shape of the 01.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 03 Jan 2012, 18:39

That's definitely not the Banbury factory though because it faces onto a housing estate on the other side of the road, and has a car park and hedge between the factory and the road itself. I'm guessing that's Manor's facility in Yorkshire? Though I suspect they are the cars that are now in the reception of the factory in Banbury.

Faustus · Post by **Faustus** » 04 Jan 2012, 10:22

AndreaModa wrote:That's definitely not the Banbury factory though because it faces onto a housing estate on the other side of the road, and has a car park and hedge between the factory and the road itself. I'm guessing that's Manor's facility in Yorkshire? Though I suspect they are the cars that are now in the reception of the factory in Banbury.

It's definitely Manor's facility in Rotherham. Been there several times before 2010.

Faustus · Post by **Faustus** » 23 Jan 2012, 12:55

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97139

So Pat Symmonds reckons that the MVR-02 wasn't too bad and had some potential but was lacking in aerodynamics, which he also points out is the source of most of the performance of a Formula 1 car. Duh.
I've met Pat several times and he is a very interesting bloke, but this is a somewhat pointless statement and I wouldn't have expected something like this from him.

Post by **mario** » 23 Jan 2012, 14:47

Faustus wrote:http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97139

So Pat Symmonds reckons that the MVR-02 wasn't too bad and had some potential but was lacking in aerodynamics, which he also points out is the source of most of the performance of a Formula 1 car. Duh.
I've met Pat several times and he is a very interesting bloke, but this is a somewhat pointless statement and I wouldn't have expected something like this from him.

I wonder if he went into more detail originally, only for Autosport to cut down his comments so they could make more room to wax lyrical about Kimi's return...

Speaking of which, I understand that at the Autosport show Xtrac have been showing off the gearbox that was used on the MVR-02 last year - here's a shot of it http://a.yfrog.com/img736/2254/yukzy.jpg
Now, IIRC a few forum members were going to the Autosport show this year, so did anybody manage to get a good look at that gearbox?

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 24 Jan 2012, 01:38

mario wrote:I wonder if he went into more detail originally, only for Autosport to cut down his comments so they could make more room to wax lyrical about Kimi's return...

There was a full interview in Autosport Plus, but you need to subscribe to read it. It wouldn't suprise me if they did it so that there was more space for Kimiwatch 2012!. They did it again last night when Kimiwatch 2012! got the top story - Kimi Raikkonen did an installation lap. Experts predicted a high likelihood that he would do a second lap some time later in the day. That, according to Kimiwatch 2012!, was news.

Post by **mario** » 24 Jan 2012, 10:50

Captain Hammer wrote:
mario wrote:I wonder if he went into more detail originally, only for Autosport to cut down his comments so they could make more room to wax lyrical about Kimi's return...

There was a full interview in Autosport Plus, but you need to subscribe to read it. It wouldn't suprise me if they did it so that there was more space for Kimiwatch 2012!. They did it again last night when Kimiwatch 2012! got the top story - Kimi Raikkonen did an installation lap. Experts predicted a high likelihood that he would do a second lap some time later in the day. That, according to Kimiwatch 2012!, was news.

I can only assume that Group Lotus have been very generous with their sponsorship of the Autosport show in recent years, such that Autosport feel somewhat obliged to run good news stories about the team on a constant basis. It is getting extremely wearisome though, especially if they are cutting short other stories to concentrate on Kimi (I would be more interested to know more about how Symonds has restructured the team, for example, and how their design team has been overhauled).

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 24 Jan 2012, 11:53

That question comes screaming to the fore again... as I discovered some photos on Faceache where Charles Pic visited Paris with the M(V)R team.

This time, they've unearthed the old car with the odd sidepods, the same design that's allegedly "Timo Glock's VR-01" parked in UST Global's offices (you know, that picture that's on Wikipedia) and maybe hoped nobody would notice...

It also appears to have the beginnings of a shark fin...

I need to know what this car was. Was it a kind of pre-VR-01 test hack that didn't work?

Part of me wants to do a factory tour if they're offered again, just so I can get to the bottom of this...

S951 · Post by **S951** » 25 Jan 2012, 00:38

Could it pos be someone old 09 machine now a show car??

Faustus · Post by **Faustus** » 25 Jan 2012, 14:14

It's definitely the 2010 car.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 26 Jan 2012, 23:13

It's certainly not the car that took to the track in Bahrain, or any of the other races...

Post by **Londoner** » 30 Jan 2012, 11:36

Marussia have decided not to use KERS again for this season. We shall see if that proves to be a wise choice. Does either Caterham or HRT plan on using KERS this year?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97195

1100th post mark reached!

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 30 Jan 2012, 11:42

East Londoner wrote:Marussia have decided not to use KERS again for this season. We shall see if that proves to be a wise choice. Does either Caterham or HRT plan on using KERS this year?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97195

1100th post mark reached!

Given the way the rules have been built and the performance of the teams not using it, I would say that is not very wise. I think they had no other choice as only Williams have KERS built for Cosworth engines and those are promised to HRT. KERS is probably worth 0.5s per lap so they must gain elsewhere if they are expected to battle it out with, say, Caterham. (The HRT car is still a bit of a mistery).

Pointrox · Post by **Pointrox** » 30 Jan 2012, 12:03

DanielPT wrote:Given the way the rules have been built and the performance of the teams not using it, I would say that is not very wise. I think they had no other choice as only Williams have KERS built for Cosworth engines and those are promised to HRT. KERS is probably worth 0.5s per lap so they must gain elsewhere if they are expected to battle it out with, say, Caterham. (The HRT car is still a bit of a mistery).

Booth once said that KERS is a waste of money and so far he insists on not putting it in their 2012 car.

Don't get me going on KERS!" Booth says. "The £5-8m cost... we could get a wind tunnel running for that, which would be worth a lot more than four tenths from where we are. If you're looking for that last four tenths, fine, but that £8m would be a massive boost to our development budget. KERS is the biggest waste of money there's been in F1 since active suspension."

He has a point... sort of.

I wonder if HRT F112 will be a radical design and how will they benefit from KERS.