Manor Set to Make Major Progress in 2016 F1 Season with Mercedes Engine Deal
Was it really worth it?
It's a question we have pondered over for much of the 2015 Formula One season as the wounded warriors of Manor continued to flounder, seemingly without purpose or ambition, at the rear of the grid.
The team, formerly known as Marussia, had been rescued from administration at the beginning of the year, but—handicapped with a modified 2014 car and an ancient Ferrari power unit in a season most manufacturers made major advancements under the maturing V6 turbo regulations—were wasting their second life.
Their resurrection presented an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and finally emerge as a serious F1 operation after just one points finish in their first five seasons. Yet Manor, despite their obvious restrictions, were as inept and unconvincing as they always were.
Barely a week after celebrating their survival, the team were present at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but they failed to take to the track across the three-day weekend due to "software problems," per BBC Sport.
They did, however, appear on the circuit at the second round in Malaysia, although one driver failed to participate in qualifying and the race while the other, in his first grand prix, failed to show an understanding of safety-car protocol, costing those unfortunate enough to be behind him several seconds.
In Canada, Romain Grosjean was forced to pit for repairs while lapping Will Stevens in an incident that, despite being the Lotus driver's fault, provided yet more evidence that the presence of mobile chicanes was unacceptable for serious competitors.
At Silverstone, Manor geared their entire strategy toward mid-race rain as Stevens and team-mate Roberto Merhi both completed the first 36 laps on the medium-compound tyres, only to switch to wet-weather tyres at precisely the wrong time.
And at the Singapore GP, the team announced Alexander Rossi would replace Merhi for a select number of rounds with the Spaniard telling ESPN F1's Nate Saunders how he was only told of Manor's plans four days ahead of free practice—a sure sign of mediocrity if ever there was one—adding the decision was made in the best "long-term" interests of the team.
Such basic, fundamental errors were the acts of a team content with simply being in F1, aiming not to compete but to merely exist.
Although 2015, due to their lack of preparation, was always bound to be a struggle for Manor, you could not help but wonder whether John Booth, the team principal, and sporting director Graeme Lowdon should have accepted their fate in the same way as Caterham, their partners in crime for five seasons.
Perhaps that auction of the team's assets, cancelled in January to keep their hopes alive, should have gone ahead after all. Perhaps Bernie Ecclestone, as he told Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper, should have followed Force India's advice and "chopped them off" when he had the chance, doing more to block their route back.
Perhaps Booth and Lowdon, as admirable, affable and ferociously resilient as they are, should have acknowledged the dream had died, rather than persisting with their efforts to delay the inevitable.
The team who have devalued F1 for so long, however, now appear primed to shed their skin and emerge as a credible outfit in 2016.
Manor's recently announced deal to use Mercedes power units—the finest engine of the modern era—for next season, in addition to "transmission and suspension components" provided by Williams, was the final element of Booth's plan to "put in place a strong foundation from which to progress."
It was the culmination of several changes made to the team over the course of 2015, all of which have injected renewed belief and provided respite from their familiar lack of pace and the same old, disappointing results.
We are delighted to share the exciting news that we will race with Mercedes-Benz Hybrid power from 2016 onwards. pic.twitter.com/a8dPvuBm73
— Manor F1 Team (@ManorF1Team) October 1, 2015
As reported by Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble in June, the team signed former Mercedes technical director Bob Bell—a man accustomed to working in difficult circumstances, having became Renault's team boss in the aftermath of 2009's "Crashgate" scandal—as an advisor, as well as Toro Rosso's Luca Furbatto and Gianluca Pisanello as heads of design and engineers, respectively.
All three signings will, you would assume, have a major influence on the team's new car, which had until recently been another stick with which to beat Manor in 2015.
As long ago as April, after all, Booth told Autosport's Lawrence Barretto how the team planned to introduce a 2015-spec chassis after the mid-season break in August.
But that deadline, however, came and went, and it wasn't until mid-September that Lowdon told Barretto, in a separate Autosport article, the car would not appear until 2016.
While this was arguably further evidence of Manor's inefficiency, the decision to spend extra time developing their new chassis should ensure that when the new cars are unveiled at the beginning of next year, theirs will have been subjected to more attention and care than any other, thus enhancing their prospects of making "a major step forward."
Big move @ManorF1Team to secure Mercedes power next season. Won't transform car performance but with a proper 2016 aero/car will help #F1
— Mark Gallagher (@_markgallagher) October 1, 2015
The promise of a Mercedes engine and the development of their car will, of course, make Manor a more attractive option for drivers, with Lowdon telling Autosport's Ian Parkes they will now play a more active role in the driver market.
Yet although their links to the Silver Arrows initially implied Mercedes had found a home for Pascal Wehrlein, whose presence would lower the cost of the engines, Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz's claims Manor stand to make more money from employing high-quality pay drivers, enhancing both their performance and budget.
With such a raft of changes and high expectations ahead of 2016, Manor's progress next season will reveal much about their capabilities and competence as a racing operation and, indeed, whether they will eventually become part of the furniture or continue clinging on to their place in F1.
It has been a long and rocky road until now, but the humiliations, the indignities and all the sacrifices made by Booth, Lowdon and Co. may all be worth it in the end.
