Tio Ellinas completes Marussia Manor Racing GP3 Driver Line-up

Marussia Manor Racing is pleased to announce that Cypriot Tio Ellinas will join the team for the 2012 season, driving alongside Russian Dmtry Suranovich and Brazilian Fabiano Machado.

Tio impressed in winter testing running with Marussia Manor Racing in Valencia and Jerez, showing strong pace in all conditions. He adapted quickly to the category, underlining his potential and marking him out as one to watch in 2012.

The twenty year-old began his career in karting. From 2001 to 2009 he won 101 of the 131 races he competed in. He won the Cyprus ICA Junior Class three times as well as the Cyprus KF2 Karting Championship and the KZ2 Bridgestone Cup in 2009. That same year he also won the inaugural Grand Prix Shootout competition in the United Kingdom.

Tio stepped up to single-seater racing in 2010, competing in the British Formula Ford and winning 3 races on his way to 4^th place and top rookie in the championship. In 2011 he switched to the Formula Renault UK Championship, winning two races and finishing in third position.

Marussia Manor Racing will be out on track for the first time this season at the first pre-season test that will take place on 21-22 February in Estoril, Portugal.

Tio Ellinas

“I am very happy to join Marussia Manor Racing. It’s a winning team and I am really looking forward to building on the progress made during the two tests. I felt immediately at home in the team and now I can’t wait to get back in the car again and race in my first GP3 season.”

                                                      

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal

“We are delighted to have Tio as part of the team this season. He did a very good job at the tests at the end of last year, demonstrating that he has the potential to be fighting at the top. Now we have our complete 2012 driver line-up we can focus totally on getting ready for the first test before the start of another exciting season.”

Marussia Manor Racing GP3 Confirms Fabiano Machado for 2012 Season

Marussia Manor Racing GP3 is pleased to announce that South American Formula 3 Champion Fabiano Machado will join the team for the 2012 GP3 Series season.

The 25 year-old from São Paulo began his racing career in karting, showing great promise by winning the Paulista Championship and the Brazilian South Region Championship as well as finishing third in the PanAmerican Championship, Cup of Brazil and Brazilian Championships. In 2010 he won the RBC Karting Championship and he was rewarded with an F3 test. He stepped up to single-seater racing later that season, competing in 12 of the 24 South American F3 races with the Cesario Formula 3 Team.  He won four races and ended the season 4^th in the Championship.

In 2011 he competed in 25 races and dominated the South American F3 Championship, achieving 17 wins, 15 fastest laps and 7 pole positions.

This season the Brazilian driver will make his racing debut in the European GP3 Series in front of the Formula One crowds at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona in May.

Fabiano will line up alongside Russia’s Dmitry Suranovich for Marussia Manor Racing, with the full driver line-up due to be completed before testing begins on 21 - 22 February in Estoril, Portugal. 

Fabiano Machado

“To race in the GP3 Series with a winning team like Marussia Manor Racing will be a big step forward in my learning process and in my career. I’m really pleased and excited to be racing for the first time in a European Championship. I want to thank the team and my sponsor Grupo Schahin for this opportunity and I will work as hard as possible to put together a strong campaign.”

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal

“We are delighted to welcome Fabiano to Marussia Manor Racing for the 2012 season. To win the South American F3 Championship shows that he is a fast and talented young driver and I’m sure that in his first season in Europe he will continue to impress us. He will be a great asset to the team.”

Marussia Manor Racing GP3 Confirms Dmtry Suranovich for 2012 Season

Marussia Manor Racing GP3 is pleased to announce that Russia’s Dmitry Suranovich will drive for the team in this year’s GP3 Series. Dmitry tested with Marussia Manor Racing in Valencia and Jerez at the end of last year, showing great promise. This will be his first season in the Championship.

Minsk-born Dmitry started his racing career in karting. He started in KF-3 class in 2008, becoming a European and World Cup finalist. In 2009 he became the Russian KF-3 Champion and a year later won the KF-2 Championship. In 2011 he raced in four events of the Formula Abarth European Series and this winter the 16-year-old also took part in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series, showing great potential in single-seater racing and obtaining his first podium finish.

                                           

Dmitry is the first Marussia Manor Racing driver to be confirmed this year, with the team set to complete its full driver line-up in the next few weeks.

Dmitry Suranovich

“I’m really happy to have secured a drive for Marussia Manor Racing, a winning team which is strongly linked to Formula One. It’s going to be an exciting season and I can’t wait to get started. It’s going to be a challenge, but I am ready for it. At the winter tests last year I already felt comfortable in the car and working with the team. Now we can continue to work hard together in order to achieve the best result possible in my first season in GP3.”

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal

“We are happy to welcome Dmitry to the team. At the tests in Spain at the end of the year he already understood the category quickly and demonstrated his potential. We are confident that he will do a good job this year.”

Positive 2011 Season Continues With First Winter Test For Marussia Manor Racing

Marussia Manor Racing was back out on track this week (25-26 October) at the first post-season GP3 Series test that took place at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. Matias Laine was back at the wheel of the car for the first time since the 2011 season ended. Colombian-American driver Gabby Chaves was testing in the second Marussia Manor Racing car after finishing the GP3 season in 11^th position with the Addax Team.

It was a positive test for Marussia Manor Racing. On Tuesday Gabby quickly got to grips with the car and was always within1.5s of the lead times, ending up 9^th in the first session and 15^th in the second session. It wasn’t until the afternoon when Matias showed his real pace, finishing in 2^nd position and only 0.59s from the best time set by Mitch Evans.

On Wednesday Matias continued to demonstrate his good form. The results on the previous day gave him a big boost and he ended up in 2^nd position again in both the morning and afternoon sessions, only 0.2 and 0.4s away from Mitch Evans. Gabby also continued to improve and finished in 10^th and 8^th positions on his second day of testing with Marussia Manor Racing and never more than a second away from the fastest time.

The GP3 Series will be back on track in November 23-24 for the second post season test, again taking place in Spain, but this time it will be at the track in Valencia.

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal

“It was good to be back on track after more than a month and a half. We haven’t stopped working and we arrived in Barcelona ready to continue with our 2011 season performance and evaluate our drivers, preparing for next year. Winter testing is good for them as they drive without all the pressure that normally exists during the season. Matias has demonstrated very good pace this week and I’m sure this will give him plenty of confidence for the next season. After his first season in GP3 he has clearly shown that he now understands the category and I’m sure he can keep up these good results. Gabby Chaves was also testing with us this week and he has done a good job. He completed a good season with Addax and we are happy for him to have tested with us. Now we will analyse all the data from these two days in Barcelona and get ready for the next test in November in Valencia."

Matias Laine

“I'm very happy and pleased with the results after the test in Barcelona. I felt very comfortable during both days and I'm finally demonstrating that I can be up there fighting for top positions. There's still a lot of work to do and its very early days, but this is a very good start and I will work hard to continue like this. I feel more confident and this will help me during the next months."

Gabby Chaves

“It has been a very positive couple of days for me in Barcelona. After my first season in GP3, it has been great to be able to test with Marussia Manor Racing. I felt comfortable in the team and in the car very quickly. On the second day I was not far off from the top times so I am happy.”

Top 3 Finish For Marussia Manor Racing in the 2011 GP3 Championship

At the eighth and final round of the 2011 GP3 Series Championship at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy, Marussia Manor Racing ended the season in 3^rd position after Rio Haryanto’s double podium finish this weekend and Adrian’s 6^th position in today’s race.

The weekend got off to a good start in Italy for Marussia Manor Racing as Adrian Quaife-Hobbs showed early pace in both Practice sessions on Friday. He finished 2^nd in the morning and 3^rd in the afternoon, always within 0.1s from the fastest time. Rio and Matias also got to grips with the high-speed full, throttle track.

On Saturday Adrian took his second pole position of the season in the final seconds of the Qualifying session, finishing only 0.062s ahead of Nico Muller. Rio led the first part of the session but was finally bumped down to 3^rd. Matias was classified in 20^th position, 1s away from Adrian’s fastest timed lap.

With two drivers in the first three positions, it looked like a promising first race for Marussia Manor Racing. Adrian got off to a good start and stayed in the lead. Rio lost a position at the start but soon made a move passing Valteri Bottas for 3^rd. Muller then snatched the lead from Adrian who, on lap 10, made a mistake at Ascari and hit the wall and the Safety Car was deployed. At the restart, with only 3 laps to go, Rio and Muller battled hard for the final podium place and it was finally the Marussia Manor Racing driver who grabbed it. Matias finished in 20^th position.

In today’s race, the last of the season, Rio and Adrian drove excellent races. After yesterday’s crash, Adrian started from 24^th position but after some brilliant moves he finished 6^th and achieved a valuable point. Rio started the race 6^th and was fighting for another podium finish during the whole race, to end 2^nd. Unfortunately, Matias didn’t finish the race because of a flat tyre.

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal

“What a great way to end the season! Today’s race was real racing. We had the pace during the whole weekend and it was great to watch Rio and Adrian fight so hard and perform great moves on track. This is what it’s all about! I’m very happy to have seen Rio on the podium on two occasions this weekend. The team have done an excellent job this season and it was a shame that the good results didn’t start coming earlier. We had to wait until the third race of the season for our first win, so we knew it was going to be difficult to win the Championship but we never stopped trying and at the end of the season the good results haven’t stopped coming our way. So overall I’m pleased with this season and I want to congratulate the whole team. Congratulations also to Adrian who of course wins the prize of an F1 test with Marussia Virgin Racing in Abu Dhabi.””

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

“I really didn’t expect to finish in the points today after starting from so far back on the grid, so it was a good race – and I did it with a broken front wing as well! A good result for me and the team. I finish 4^th in the Championship, which is a great result, and now I just can’t wait to get to Abu Dhabi where I will be testing the MVR-02.”

Rio Haryanto

“It has been a very positive weekend for me – one I won’t forget! To be on the podium on both Saturday and Sunday is such a great result, I’m very happy with this weekend. We have worked hard this season and results like this are the reward. The team has done a very good job and I want to thank everyone for an excellent weekend.”

Matias Laine

“What a shame to end the season without being able to finish the race. It’s disappointing, but I’m happy because the team has finished third in the Championship. We deserve it. We have worked hard and I want to thank the team for all their hard work – I have really learned a lot this year.”

Marussia Manor Racing adds more points to its tally in Spa

The seventh and penultimate round of the 2011 GP3 Series took place this weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Marussia Manor Racing demonstrated a strong performance once again, making it the fourth weekend in a row and the eighth race in which the team added points to its tally.

The weekend started in a positive way in the first and only Practice session on Friday, with all three drivers Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, Rio Haryanto and Matias Laine driving at constant pace and never below 1.5s from the fastest time set by Championship leader Valtteri Bottas. Adrian was the fastest Marussia Manor Racing driver that morning, battling for top positions during the whole session and ending up 4^th. Matias was 11^th and Rio 16^th.

Saturday’s qualifying session took place in difficult conditions because of the heavy rain overnight and the notoriously changeable conditions here in Spa. The track was damp but drying, so it was important to follow a good tyre strategy. Adrian was battling with front-runners Alexander Sims and Bottas, the three of them swapping fastest lap times as the track continued to dry. James Calado finally took his first pole position of the season, with Adrian finishing 2.5s away from him in 5^th position. Rio ended up 20^th and Matias 26^th.

The first race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon got off to a good start for all three drivers, with Adrian making a move on Nigel Melker whilst exiting La Source to take third position. From then on he was fighting for a podium finish until the end of the race, showing good race pace even though Bottas, leading the race, was soon under control and too quick for anyone. Both Rio and Matias were able to gain positions after starting from the back of the grid and finished 12^th and 18^th respectively, keeping out of trouble. Adrian finally finished 4^th and added 5 more valuable points to his tally.

Today’s second race at Spa-Francorchamps began positively for Marussia Manor Racing, as Adrian, who was starting from 5^th position, stormed up to 2^nd after only four laps. Unfortunately, he had to retire due to a turbo failure. Rio staged a strong comeback, finishing 9^th while Matias didn’t classify after spinning early in the race.

The eighth and final GP3 Series race weekend will take place on the 9-11 September in Monza.

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal

“It’s always good to end up in the points during the weekend so we are pleased with this, but it’s disappointing because we could have ended up in the points again today. But we are all doing a good job and we have to continue the good work. There is only one more race weekend remaining, so we have to keep focused and aim for the best possible results in Monza.”

Rio Haryanto

“A typical Spa-Francorchamps weekend. The changeable conditions here make it a very tough race weekend. But we did our best and worked hard, and now we have to carry on like this to end the season on a high.”

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

“It was so frustrating today! I was really feeling comfortable in the car and early in the race I was running in second position after a great start. Then all of a sudden I felt the car lost some power and everyone started to pass me – I couldn’t do anything. It’s a shame because the weekend had started well, finishing 4^th yesterday and if I had scored some more points today I could have ended up third in the Championship. But there is still one more race to go before the end of the season and I just have to keep on pushing.”

Matias Laine

“On Friday the speed was good and on Saturday during the qualifying in the wet I was also fast, but in the end the track started to dry and I was late in to put my dry tyres on. I felt comfortable in both races and my speed stats to be good but now I just need to avoid small mistakes and the results will come.” 

Successful Weekend

Photo credit gp3series.com

Rio Haryanto won his second GP3 Series race of the season today at the Hungaroring in Budapest and becomes the second driver after Championship leader Valteri Bottas to win more than one race this season. The early morning rain didn’t frighten Rio, who came home to another brilliant win after starting from 9^th on the grid. After today’s win and yesterday’s podium finish, the 6^th round of the GP3 Series Championship was a successful weekend for Marussia Manor Racing.

The weekend began with two busy Free Practice sessions on Friday, both interrupted by red flags due to a crash involving Luciano Bacheta in the morning and because of Gabby Chaves stopping at turn 10 in the afternoon. That didn’t leave much track time for the drivers. Nearly half of the field traded turns at the top of the timesheet, with all three Marussia Manor Racing drivers ending up in the top 16 in both sessions and within a second from the best time.

On Saturday morning the qualifying session took place. Adrian was the first to break the 1 minute 39s barrier to go top of the timesheet in the frenetic first minutes of qualifying, as the 30 drivers battled hard to find clean air. Rio was the fastest Marussia Manor Racing driver, qualifying 6^th after establishing a best time of 1:37.396, 0.6s off the pole position time. Adrian ended up 9^th with a best time of 1:37.515 and Matias was classified 16^th and also within a second behind poleman Valteri Bottas.

Adrian got off to an excellent start in Saturday’s 16-lap race, and by the end of the first lap he had stormed up to 3^rd position. From then on he was locked in a long battle with Alexander Sims and Nico Müller for the final podium placing. With Rio fighting for 9^th position and Matias battling for 14^th, Adrian was pushing hard for 3^rd and in the final few laps he found himself defending just as hard from a charging Müller. But it was Adrian who finally crossed the line in 3^rd position, achieving his second podium finish of the season and adding 6 more valuable points to his tally. Rio finished 9^th and Matias was 14^th.

Today’s second race began in rainy conditions. Rio stormed up to the front of the field quickly after starting the race from 9^th position. Unfortunately Adrian stalled but Matias got off to a good start and delivered his best race of the season so far, running in 9^th position until the final laps. The track was wet and slippery but Rio managed to stay out of trouble and manage the two Safety Car periods perfectly, crossing the line in first position. Adrian ended up 11^th and Matias finished 22^nd.

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal

“The good results just keep coming and you can get used to this very quickly. It’s great to end up on the podium so frequently. I’m delighted with the results in the last races – we have won 3 races in the last 4 race weekends. We have to continue working in this direction and get the best out of the final two rounds of the Championship.”

Rio Haryanto

“It’s fantastic to celebrate another win only a week after winning in Germany. I’m so happy! It has been another positive weekend for me and the team, who are doing an excellent job. It’s the perfect way to get to the summer break.”

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

“I’m really happy to have achieved another podium finish. It’s such a great feeling! Even though the weekend didn’t start as well as we expected, we didn’t let that affect us. We knew that this was a track that suited us, as in the mid-season test at the beginning of June here in Budapest we did a good job and were always in the top positions. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish in the points today but I am happy with my weekend.”

Matias Laine

“It’s been a good weekend. We were in much better form here in Budapest and I was much closer to the top times. My race pace was also better and I am happy to see that we are making progress.”