After beating Caterham to tenth in the constructor’s championship in 2013, Marussia headed into the V6 turbo-charged era with high hopes. Despite not scoring a single championship point in four seasons, the Anglo-Russian team were confident of scoring their maiden points in Formula One. For 2014, Marussia switched to Ferrari engines as previous engine supplier Cosworth opted not to build a new engine for the new 2014 season.
Marussia retained both of their 2013 drivers, highly rated Frenchman and Ferrari protegé Jules Bianchi partnered Max Chilton whom had finished every race in his debut season – a record for a rookie. Bianchi is tipped for a bright future after impressing in his debut year, in comparison, Chilton was not as quick as Bianchi however was more consistent. With a move to the Ferrari power-unit, the team were optimistic heading into the season opener in Australia. They believed they would comfortably beat Caterham but also challenge Sauber and Toro Rosso.
From as early as pre-season testing it was apparent Marussia made progress however it remained to be seen whether the Banbury based team could score their maiden Formula One points. After consistently beating rivals Caterham in the early stages of the season, Marussia’s finest moment came at the Monaco Grand Prix as Jules Bianchi came home in ninth place to score the teams maiden Formula One points. Bianchi had started nineteenth on the grid but due to several retirements and safety car’s the 25-year old took full advantage of the situation and brought his car home in ninth.
The British Grand Prix saw both Marussia’s make it into Q2, Jules Bianchi was twelfth ahead of Max Chilton in thirteenth who was later demoted after picking up a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. Despite having some high’s, there has also been some lows, the pair collided on the opening lap of the Canadian Grand Prix which ended Max Chilton’s record of finishing every race he had started – the stewards deemed it to be Chilton’s fault and subsequently received a penalty for the Austrian Grand Prix. Since the ban of the FRIC (Front-and-Rear Interconnected Suspension) at the German Grand Prix it seems Marussia have been affected the greatest as Caterham have grew closer in terms of raw performance.
Due to the small budget Marussia run on, it is unlikely we will see further progress in terms of upgrades however they will be hoping they can cling on to ninth in the constructor’s championship as currently they sit ahead of Sauber who also use a Ferrari power unit.
Jules Bianchi 2 points/ 16th in the Driver’s Championship
Once again, the man from Nice continues to impress. Bianchi has comprehensively beaten his teammate Max Chilton in both qualifying and the race. More often than not, the Frenchman finds himself battling midfield runners Sauber and Lotus showing he has the speed and talent to race for a better team. His moment of glory came at the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel, Bottas and Gutierrez were three of the names which retired from the race which ultimately promoted Bianchi into the points paying positions, despite pressure from Grosjean and Vergne during the latter stages of the race, the Frenchman kept his cool to score the teams first points.
Bianchi has reached the second segment of qualifying on two occasions. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, he qualified sixteenth knocking out works Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen – ironically many people believe Bianchi will be the man to replace Raikkonen when the Finn finally decides to retire. In addition, during the mid-season test at Silverstone, Bianchi got the opportunity to drive for Ferrari as Raikkonen was injured after a major crash on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix. Bianchi took full advantage of the opportunity and topped the time-sheets in the process. The future is bright for Jules Bianchi however he needs to continue to shine which he has done for majority of his Formula One career so far.
Max Chilton 0 points/ 20th in the Driver’s Championship
After a consistent and steady first year in Formula One, Max Chilton had to impress in 2014. Unfortunately for the Brit, he is alongside one of the most exciting young talents on the grid in Jules Bianchi. Despite finishing every race in his Formula One career except the Canadian Grand Prix (where he crashed into Bianchi) there has not been too many highs for the 23-year old. Chilton’s best finish of the season came at the season opener in Australia where there were seven retirements. In Monaco, where his teammate delivered, Chilton finished two laps behind his teammate who scored the teams first points in Formula One.
In addition, the average gap between the two Marussia drivers is around six tenths which is a substantial gap. Admittedly, Chilton is a consistent and reliable pair of hands to bring the car home however he needs to begin to have better results so the midfield teams start taking interest in him, if not, his seat will be under threat for 2015.
Race Results this season:
Bianchi is the top row with Chilton being the second row
| AUS | MAL | BAH | CHI | SPA | MON | CAN | AUS | BRI | GER | HUN |
| DNF | DNF | 16 | 17 | 18 | 9 | DNF | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| 13 | 15 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 14 | DNF | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Performances Comparison so far this season:
| Jules Bianchi | Max Chilton | |
| Qualified ahead | 8 | 3 |
| Average qualifying gap | -0.607s | +0.607s |
| Finished race ahead | 7 | 1 |
| Laps spent ahead | 423 | 134 |
Looking ahead to the remainder of the 2014 season, Marussia will be delighted with their position in the constructor’s championship however should remain wary of Sauber who are bound to score points at one stage or another this season. Alexander Rossi has inevitably put pressure on Max Chilton and his future within the team thus the Brit needs to have more standout performances especially against his highly rated teammate. Personally, Bianchi is ready for a better drive whether the Ferrari seat is a step-up to early no one knows. Felipe Massa was 25 when he made his move to Ferrari in 2006 (Bianchi is 25) so perhaps it’s time to give their young protégé the chance he deserves.
