Manor Marussia F1 has announced that it will be in Melbourne - and that Will Stevens, who made his F1 debut in Abu Dhabi with Caterham, will be one of the race drivers.
In the light of the team not being permitted to run its 2014 chassis it has worked away quietly to prepare a legal one. It's understood to carry over much of last year's car, which is a logical step, given the time constraints.
Intriguingly, Marussia has been retained in the team's name, presumably to avoid the legal complications of dropping it completely in favor of Manor.
The team said: “The car with which Manor will begin the season is now in an advanced stage of build at the team’s current race preparation facility in Dinnington, UK, where personnel are working 24-7 towards the air freight dispatch date of 6 March.”
It added: “The approval by the Company’s creditors on 19 Feb. 2015 to a Company Voluntary Arrangement paves the way for the team to exit from administration and since that time everyone involved with Manor has been working flat out on the key components of its 2015 challenge.”
Stevens was a Manor reserve driver before making his F1 debut with Caterham in Abu Dhabi.
Stevens said: “It’s very exciting to see everything coming together at Manor after the tremendous effort that has gone into saving the team. It would not have been possible without the incredible support we have received from all the suppliers and from within the sport, but most of all the fantastic team of people at Manor who are working around the clock to ensure we are ready for Melbourne.
“My thanks to the team for their confidence in me and I can’t wait to see all the hard work rewarded when we line up on the grid in two weeks’ time.”
