Second Test for Marussia Manor Racing GP3

The GP3 series conducted its second pre-season test at Silverstone this week, where the Marussia Manor Racing team continued its preparations for the 2011 season, which starts on 7-8 May in Turkey. All three of the team’s drivers - Rio Haryanto, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and rookie Matias Laine - were at the wheel of the Dallara GP3 again for the three days of testing.

In contrast to the first test of the season in France, this time the drivers were greeted by blue skies and sunny conditions when they first hit the track on Tuesday. In the afternoon, they ran in damp conditions as it started to rain, providing a good opportunity to compare the behaviour of the car in different conditions.

The Marussia Manor Racing drivers continued to demonstrate their strong form during the second day, as the team made use of their time on track to obtain valuable information. In the afternoon the weather provided another opportunity to run with the wet Pirelli tyres.

During today’s third and final day of testing, the team continued to develop the different car set-ups. The drivers demonstrated once again that they are quick in the wet and dry. The team was able to continue adding more mileage to the car as the young drivers completed plenty of laps during the three days of the test. They will be back in action at the final pre-season test in Barcelona next month.

Pete Sliwinski, Team Manager

“It has been a very useful second test for us. Fortunately we have been able to complete plenty of laps in dry conditions after not having much time for this during the first test in France, where it rained a lot. We have continued developing our car set-ups as well as gathering more information for the team to prepare for the new season. I am very pleased with the job that all three drivers have done here in Silverstone this week.”

Rio Haryanto

“We concentrated on developing the car here in Silverstone, and the team has done a really good job. I feel comfortable in the car and the test has been very productive to continue collecting important data.”

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

“We have been trying various set-up ideas from the winter and trying to understand how the new softer tyre compounds react. It was also beneficial to have dry as well as wet running here. So far we are very happy with our performance. We have three more test days in Barcelona before the first race which will really help us to completely understand the car.”

Matias Laine

“I am very pleased with this second test of the season. The weather hasn’t been the best but we have achieved some good running in the rain as well as in dry conditions. I am very happy with how the team is working and I can’t wait for the first race.”