Courtesy of Manor, @ManorF1Team
Never once did either Manor car leave the garage under its own power. Never once did Will Stevens or Roberto Merhi wear their race suits and grab their helmets. Both were ever-present around the paddock, but never once appeared to be preparing for driving a F1 car anytime soon. Manor’s team principal, Graeme Lowdon, fielded many questions from the media where he praised the team for their effort to get the cars to Melbourne.
And that’s key. Lowdon was very consistent with his statements. He carefully worded his responses to the media stating the importance of “being here”, with regard to Melbourne. I can’t ever recall his referencing racing in Melbourne. Every answer involved the importance of “being here” in Melbourne.
Many have suspected Manor may not have ever intended to race in Melbourne. In fact, Manor had to go before the stewards, in breach of Article 13.2 (f) of the sporting regulations which require the participation of all sessions. The stewards deemed no further action was necessary with the following explanation:
“Having considered all available material, the Stewards determined that there had not been a breach of Article 13.2 (f) on the basis that the team had:
1. Attended the event
2. Brought a significant quantity of material and equipment with it
3. Produced all required documents for checking
4. Taken part in Scrutineering and its 2 cars were eligible to compete
5. Brought sufficient staff to prepare the cars for competition
6. Continued to work and do all within its ability to enable the 2 cars to compete
7. Prepared the cars to a state where they were mechanically complete
8. Would not have been able to achieve a software configuration that allowed the 2 cars to be operated in Practice or Qualifying sessions, even if they had worked outside curfew requirements.”
All reasons appear acceptable except for number 8. Number 8 is very telling. Manor had admitted software problems throughout the weekend. Number 8 appears to highlight software configuration issues as the primary barrier preventing Manor’s participating in any sessions.
And that’s a problem. Manor would have known about incompatible software configurations long before they packed the cars for their long journey to Melbourne. In fact, they would have known weeks ago, likely months ago of this issue. The Stewards statement even says that they acknowledge if Manor had worked outside the curfew limits, they would not have been able to solve their software problems. In other words, there was absolutely nothing Manor could have done, all weekend, to run their cars. And Manor knew that, long before they ever arrived in Melbourne.
Then, why did Manor ever bother? The answer to this question lies somewhere in the murky world of FOM contracts. While Marussia’s 2014 is most remembered for entering administration and Bianchi’s crash, we might have forgotten Bianchi’s ninth place in Monaco. That finish scored Marussia two points, which led to Marussia’s finishing higher than Sauber in the constructor’s championship. This single race finish, entitled Marussia to tens of millions of dollars of prize money, through the constructor’s championship payout structure. Since Marussia entered administration, it has been unclear what happens to that prize money. We may have just gotten our answer in Melbourne. Graeme Lowdown made every possible effort to get Manor to Melbourne, and fulfill all the contractual and technical obligations required to be a “participant” in the event. He needed them to “be there”. It doesn’t appear, however, that he needed them to race.
You’re probably wondering, what happens next for Manor? I suspect they will keep attending races. If their software woes can be rectified (which actually may not be possible, depending on the type of woes), they will likely attempt to qualify. But again, the likelihood they will be within the 107% limit is very unlikely. Manor and the Stewards may get to know each other very well during the upcoming races.
