RIP Manor Racing (2010-2017)

[Salamander]

I'm pretty sure Rossi knew the situation and the likelihood of him actually driving the car in Sochi when he was put on the entry list. He is still a member of the team after all. This isn't a snub to Rossi, it's a tribute to Jules.

[CoopsII]

I recall Coulthard having mixed feelings about getting the Williams nod in 94, although it was what he'd worked for there was no shaking the feeling of discomfort regarding the circumstances. Im sure Rossi would have felt the same.

[DanielPT]

I recall Coulthard having mixed feelings about getting the Williams nod in 94, although it was what he'd worked for there was no shaking the feeling of discomfort regarding the circumstances. Im sure Rossi would have felt the same.

I am also sure Rossi would have felt the same. Would he have a reason for that though? After all, there is a quite non negligenciable diference in both situations: The driver Rossi would replace is actually still alive.

[Salamander]

I recall Coulthard having mixed feelings about getting the Williams nod in 94, although it was what he'd worked for there was no shaking the feeling of discomfort regarding the circumstances. Im sure Rossi would have felt the same.

I am also sure Rossi would have felt the same. Would he have a reason for that though? After all, there is a quite non negligenciable diference in both situations: The driver Rossi would replace is actually still alive.

That part doesn't really matter I think. Bianchi is still alive, but Rossi would still only be getting the position because he is in a coma and seriously injured. Just because Bianchi is still alive, does not mean it would eliminate all of the misgivings any replacement would have over replacing him.

[mario]

I recall Coulthard having mixed feelings about getting the Williams nod in 94, although it was what he'd worked for there was no shaking the feeling of discomfort regarding the circumstances. Im sure Rossi would have felt the same.

I am also sure Rossi would have felt the same. Would he have a reason for that though? After all, there is a quite non negligenciable diference in both situations: The driver Rossi would replace is actually still alive.

That is at least one fortunate difference, though it is still an extremely emotionally fraught situation given that Bianchi is still in a critical condition in hospital.

Whilst I am sure that Rossi would have wanted to compete, albeit in very different circumstances to those that the team are in, Marussia have been liaising with Rossi, the FIA, FOM and Bianchi's family, so I imagine that Rossi would have been consulted for as long as possible before the final decision on whether or not to compete was made.
I don't think that, in those circumstances, he would treat it as the team snubbing him - there have been instances in the past where a team has chosen to run only one car for a short period of time following a driver being badly injured out of respect to the injured driver, and I expect that Rossi would not object if it was felt to be more respectful for him to not race in Sochi.

[DanielPT]

Of course it doesn't eliminate all misgivings of replacing Bianchi and I haven't said otherwise don't get me wrong, but I have no doubt CoopsII comparaison would still stand and be real despite that fortunate difference as mario put it. That implies, at least to me, that regardless of the crash outcome people would behave the same and I will admit that I fail to understand why some still behave as if Bianchi had died (knock 3 times on wood) that day. As long there is some small hope in that he will be able to celebrate life with his loved ones, the outcome will not be the same to me. That is all. I hope I am not coming across as an insensitive b*stard as it I think it is not true but that is how I feel.

[IceG]

The timing also matters; it has been less than a week since the accident. Two weeks after Senna's death Williams only ran one car at Monaco. It was 4 weeks before Coulthard drove for the first time in Spain.

[andrew2209]

It's also worth noting, in 1994 Sauber only run one car in the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix, 2 weeks after Wendlinger's accident.

[AustralianStig]

I wonder if Rossi will get to make his debut in his home GP?

[go_Rubens]

I wonder if Rossi will get to make his debut in his home GP?

It's more than lilely he'll get the nod. I can't imagine anyone else would do the job, considering he was to replace Chilton at Spa until those issues were resolved. Plus, he is faster than Chilton. Shoe-in if I ever heard of it.

[watka]

I wonder if Rossi will get to make his debut in his home GP?

It's more than lilely he'll get the nod. I can't imagine anyone else would do the job, considering he was to replace Chilton at Spa until those issues were resolved. Plus, he is faster than Chilton. Shoe-in if I ever heard of it.

I am therefore predicting we'll see Rodolfo González in the car/

[solarcold]

Why not Luis Razia then, or Luca Badoer?

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be Rossi.

[Dj_bereta]

Why not Luis Razia then, or Luca Badoer?

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be Rossi.

Indy lights season is over, but I doubt Razia will race for Marussia after what happened in 2013.

But Badoer, who knows.

I wonder if Rossi will get to make his debut in his home GP?

It's more than lilely he'll get the nod. I can't imagine anyone else would do the job, considering he was to replace Chilton at Spa until those issues were resolved. Plus, he is faster than Chilton. Shoe-in if I ever heard of it.

I am therefore predicting we'll see Rodolfo González in the car/

He wasn't leaves Marussia after 2013 season? Also, I don't remember any PDVSA decals in the car anymore.

[Paul Hayes]

Sad and bizarre news that Marussia now apparently won't be going to the US either. You'd have thought, given they were likely to have fielded an American driver, Ecclestone would have done all he could to have them on the grid.

[Frogfoot9013]

Sad and bizarre news that Marussia now apparently won't be going to the US either. You'd have thought, given they were likely to have fielded an American driver, Ecclestone would have done all he could to have them on the grid.

But Bernie doesn't want those minnow teams in F1. He'd rather see them fold, so his dream of Three-Car Teams can come true.

[Londoner]

This is a dark, dark day for us on F1 Rejects. Who are we gonna cheer on at the back of the grid for the last few races of the year?

As far as I'm concerned now, anyone who is against a budget cap is a shmock and needs to be disregarded immediately.

[f1andrea]

Sad and bizarre news that Marussia now apparently won't be going to the US either. You'd have thought, given they were likely to have fielded an American driver, Ecclestone would have done all he could to have them on the grid.

But Bernie doesn't want those minnow teams in F1. He'd rather see them fold, so his dream of Three-Car Teams can come true.

Ecclestone usually say this, but in his deep (mainly for TV contracts) he wants keep they. He has to help now the Marussia and Caterham, and I think that Marussia has minor chance to saving than Caterham, even if the anglo-russian team could have the money of 9° position of WDC

[AustralianStig]

I wonder if this is cost-saving measures seeing as with Caterham close to folding Marussia are now pretty much guaranteed at least 10th in the WCC?

[Faustus]

Sad and bizarre news that Marussia now apparently won't be going to the US either. You'd have thought, given they were likely to have fielded an American driver, Ecclestone would have done all he could to have them on the grid.

Autosport has it:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116497

[Yannick]

Just saw the Autosport headline on their frontpage and I shouted: What?!

Somebody should tell the folks at Marussia/Virgin/Manor that quitting now is not a tribute to Jules.
His efforts can't all have been for naught, can they? What if Sauber scores now with less cars on the grid? (And I'm saying this despite having been a longterm Sauber supporter when I still watched F1 regularly).

I'll go and busy myself with something else now.
Thanks for getting this forum going again. Here's hoping the treasure trove that is the main site will be preserved, too. After all, where else should Bernie be profiled once his Full Biography page is going to have been written by the site's author?

[eagleash]

It seems likely that Marussia will miss Brazil as well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/2 ... um=twitter

[Salamander]

Somebody should tell the folks at Marussia/Virgin/Manor that quitting now is not a tribute to Jules.

Yes, because obviously this is because of Jules and not their financial situation. Obviously.

[Londoner]

Somebody should tell the folks at Marussia/Virgin/Manor that quitting now is not a tribute to Jules.

Yes, because obviously this is because of Jules and not their financial situation. Obviously.

This

[takagi_for_the_win]

And so Alex Rossi's debut must wait again...

[Sublime_FA11C]

There was allways a question mark over Marussia's survial through 2014 and into 2015. Maybe we assumed that because they bagged points they'd be safe, but they are far from safe. I doubt their motives have anything to do with Jules esp. since they have an official reserve driver and you'd assume they'd want to drive the car.

Maybe it has more to do with the recent revelations about Caterham cars becoming increasingly unsafe to drive as their finances dried up. Kobayashi was the guy who would do anything to drive in F1 and the last guy to express regret about his decision to rejoin with Caterham, except he pretty much did this. "Sacred to drive the car" and "Waste of time" are not words to come out of his mouth.

It's possible Marussia's safety levels would not hold up to intense scrutiny and they'd rather not have that spotlight on them given the accident in Suzuka. The accident seems to be a perfect storm of bad luck and nothing to do with a crappy car, but speculation fair or unfair could terribly hurt them. I now recall the commentators expressing surprise about the amount of debris and the ease with which the car disintegrated following the collision in Canada. The cars of boths teams are not exactly sturdy...
When Gutierrez launched Maldonado that Lotus took a beating but kept going. If it had been a Marussia it would have probably ended in pieces.

If financial peril is bringing down reliability and safety levels to something dangerous or farcical, then no wonder Bernie is looking for a mercy killing.

[Meatwad]

Terrible news. I'm starting to lose interest in F1 now. Teams folding, idiotic rule changes (double points)... The Bianchi crash naturally contributes to this, as well.

Whatever they do, I hope they won't have three cars next year. Can you imagine Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams taking the first nine positions in a normal race, leaving McLaren and Ferrari to fight for a single point? Teams like Lotus and Sauber would have no chance of ever scoring a point and would soon leave as well. We might as well have a DTM kind of grid with six Ferraris, Red Bulls, McLarens and Mercedes (they seem to be the only teams with no budget problems).

[Sublime_FA11C]

I still don't understand how points would work with a 3 car grid. The long term planning nature of F1 also doesn't make it seem possible to implement overnight. Bernie may say he's pushing for it, but what he says he's pushing for and what he's really pushing for are rarely the same thing.

[Wallio]

This to me makes now sense, you can't tell me that Rossi's backers wouldn't pony up for him to race at Austin. I simply don't believe it. I guess this goes back to the problems with Marussia proper. As has been said before, Spyker didn't last a season, and they actually sold cars. Marussia......

NBC is reporting a more optimistic outcome though. They say the Concorde agreement allows for teams to miss 3 races per year, and Marussia is done for 2014 under that rule, content with 10th in the WCC and the money it brings. I for oe will be rooting really hard for double-DNFs from Sauber from now on.

[Onxy Wrecked]

This to me makes now sense, you can't tell me that Rossi's backers wouldn't pony up for him to race at Austin. I simply don't believe it. I guess this goes back to the problems with Marussia proper. As has been said before, Spyker didn't last a season, and they actually sold cars. Marussia......

NBC is reporting a more optimistic outcome though. They say the Concorde agreement allows for teams to miss 3 races per year, and Marussia is done for 2014 under that rule, content with 10th in the WCC and the money it brings. I for oe will be rooting really hard for double-DNFs from Sauber from now on.

If NBC is correct, Marussia's done as they may not have the resources to both compete and assist in the investigation as needed. They may have enough money to make a go at least in Austin, but money isn't the only resource in F1.

[FMecha]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

[Frogfoot9013]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

This is bad, very bad.
And it's probably inevitable that three-car teams will be forced in by Bernie now, even if the teams aren't in the position to do so....

[FMecha]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

This is bad, very bad.
And it's probably inevitable that three-car teams will be forced in by Bernie now, even if the teams aren't in the position to do so....

FIA stated that they won't push third cars, though: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116477

[Frogfoot9013]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

This is bad, very bad.
And it's probably inevitable that three-car teams will be forced in by Bernie now, even if the teams aren't in the position to do so....

FIA stated that they won't push third cars, though: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116477

In any case, third cars are definitely in for 2016 now with what's happening to Marussia, Caterham, and Sauber.

[Shizuka]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

FIA will go for ROTY if both Marussia and Caterham bites the dust (whether the latter gets turned into Forza Rossa or not)!

[Onxy Wrecked]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

Damn... this is Simtek all over again.

[mario]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

Damn... this is Simtek all over again.

It was one of those things where you hoped that the team might just have made it to the end of the year, by which time the possibility of the additional revenue they could receive from FOM might have just been enough to have helped them hang on for the longer term.

As others were saying, this feels like it could be the start of a far worse collapse - Caterham are all but gone, Marussia seem to be sadly going the same way, whilst both Sauber and Lotus could potentially be crippled by their poor results this season and collapse next season thanks to the reduced payments they'll receive from FOM. You would hope that this might finally knock some sense into the teams and authorities and lead to some sort of cost control measures, but you get the feeling that the big teams will only notice when it finally starts to bite them.

[f1andrea]

Ecclestone about Marussia and Caterham situations:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formul ... stone.html

Third cars only for struggling teams. Not the ideal situation, but better than third cars..even if this is like a customer car. Anyway, if Caterham or Marussia run in 2015, we don't have this problem. C'mon Marussia, C'mon Caterham!!!

[Frogfoot9013]

Things are getting worse for Marussia.

Damn... this is Simtek all over again.

It was one of those things where you hoped that the team might just have made it to the end of the year, by which time the possibility of the additional revenue they could receive from FOM might have just been enough to have helped them hang on for the longer term.

As others were saying, this feels like it could be the start of a far worse collapse - Caterham are all but gone, Marussia seem to be sadly going the same way, whilst both Sauber and Lotus could potentially be crippled by their poor results this season and collapse next season thanks to the reduced payments they'll receive from FOM. You would hope that this might finally knock some sense into the teams and authorities and lead to some sort of cost control measures, but you get the feeling that the big teams will only notice when it finally starts to bite them.

Marussia were the one team I were expecting to pull through thanks to the points they scored, but unfortunately I seem to have been gravely mistaken.
I'd say Lotus will be on the grid next year, although I cannot be sure will they make it to 2016. I'm not too sure about how long Sauber will last, but I don't see a long future for them either. And in typical style the large teams will only do something once it affects them as well, which will probably be another three-four years down the line.

[andrew]

Now it has been confirmed, Marussia has entered administration according to Sky Sports F1 news. No information on redundancies, they will miss the U.S gp, no confirmation on Brazil yet.

[CoopsII]

So Bianchi's two points may end up being for nothing. There's clearly more to the Caterham story than just the performance on-track but either way the fact that both back-marking teams are unable to make F1 pay despite being, in my opinion, reasonably competative stinks.