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.”

Thrilling Win

Photo credit gp3series.com

Marussia Manor Racing GP3 driver Rio Haryanto won his first race of the season in dramatic style this afternoon at the Nürburgring.

Rain was threatening minutes before the start of the race but everyone except the front row starters decided to start the race on slicks. Luckily for Rio the rain stayed away for the first part of the race and he was able to move from 3rd on the grid to 2nd by the end of the first lap.

The race settled down in the dry, with Rio driving at a constant pace from start to finish. A grid penalty for Mitch Evans for changing his tyres after the three minutes start warning left Rio clear in 2nd position.

Finally, the predicted rain started to fall, bunching the top five closely together. Rio initially closed onto the back of Williamson, and as it started to rain even harder he briefly snatched the lead from Valteri Bottas, the leader at the time. The final laps were an thrilling battle between the three drivers, but it was Rio who finally came home to a brilliant win in the most challenging of conditions.

This is the first win of the season for Rio and the second one for Marussia Manor Racing; Adrian Quaife-Hobbs also won the feature race in Valencia.

Good Race Pace

The fourth round of the GP3 Series Championship got off to a good start at Silverstone for Marussia Manor Racing yesterday, as Adrian Quaife-Hobbs achieved the first pole position of the year for him and the team. His best lap of 1:51.190 put him nearly 0.4s clear of second place man James Calado. With only one second covering the top ten, it was another extremely competitive session. Rio Haryanto ended up only 0.7s away from the fastest time (1:51.932) and classified ninth, while Matias Laine was sixteenth.

It was then time for Marussia Manor Racing’s first race of the weekend in front of its home crowd. Yesterday’s race got underway under tricky conditions as it started to rain seconds before the formation lap. Adrian, who was on pole, was one of the 19 drivers that entered the pits to switch to wet Pirelli P-Zero tyres, starting the race from the pit lane.

It was very difficult to stay on track due to its conditions, with Adrian dropping down to 9th. Matias’ race was cut very short as he was forced off track by Maxim Zimin, who was penalised and suspended from Race 2.

Meanwhile, Adrian was showing the rest of the field that he meant business and after the first laps he was already 4th and within podium contention. Rio once again demonstrated good race pace again and was fighting for a points finish, ending up 11th. Adrian finally crossed the line in 4th position.

Today’s second race didn’t get off to a good start for Adrian as he stalled on the grid. But he recovered quickly and his race pace was soon quicker than the leaders of the race, posting the fastest lap of the race, a 1:52.916. Rio also confirmed he was fast and did some excellent moves. After starting from 11th on the grid, he finally crossed the line in 4th position after a very strong race, achieving his first three points of the season. Unfortunately, Matias’ race was over on lap 2 after he spun and was obliged to retire after breaking the floor of the car.

After Marussia Manor Racing’s home Grand Prix, Adrian is now 7th in the Championship with 18 points, 11 behind the leader, while Rio is 19th. The next round of the GP3 Series Championship will take place in Germany on 22-24 July.

Pete Sliwinski, Team Principal
“This is the level we should have been competing at since the beginning of the season – fighting for top positions and starting races from pole position. The team has worked very hard during the past few weeks and we can finally say that we are back in the fight for top positions. It’s always special to race on home soil and in front of the passionate British crowd. We started the weekend very well with Adrian on pole, but then we had unexpected difficulties at the start of both races that complicated things a bit. The good news is that we are quick.”

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs
“Qualifying was a brilliant session and it felt great to finally end up on pole position and at our home race. It’s difficult to put into words how it feels. The team once again did a fantastic job and we have carried the momentum from our race in Valencia to here. Unfortunately we didn’t get off to a good start in either yesterday or today’s race, but I am happy because we have demonstrated that we are fast.”

Rio Haryanto
“I am happy to have finally finished a race in the points. It was a hard race today as we started from eleventh position, but I managed to perform well and finish 4th. We clearly have good race pace and if we carry on like this I’m sure the good results will continue to come.”

Matias Laine
“I wasn’t very lucky this weekend. On Friday I couldn’t complete many laps during the practice sessions and I wasn’t able to finish any races. Yesterday I was forced off track and today I had to retire after a spin where I broke the floor of the car, so it hasn’t really been a good weekend for me.”

Victory in Valencia

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs won his first race of the season for Marussia Manor Racing today at the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain. After qualifying in third position, he got off to an excellent start and was leading the race at Turn one after a great move. Adrian had a very good race pace and even though he was forced to slow down due to a Safety Car period during the first laps, he was able to get into the race again quickly and didn’t give his rivals a chance, comfortably driving to his first win of the season.

The Marussia Manor Racing driver also set the fastest lap during the race, adding one more point to the ten for the win and he is now fifth in the GP3 Series Championship.

Adrian will drive again tomorrow in the second race of the weekend here at the Valencia Street Circuit, starting from eighth position, as the first eight finishers in Race 1 start in reverse order the following day.

Positive Second Mid-season Test

Only two weeks after the test in Budapest, the Marussia Manor Racing GP3 Team were back on track this week taking part in the second mid-season test at the Circuit de Valencia in Spain.

Having analysed the data from the test in Budapest, it was another opportunity for the team to further develop the set-up of the Marussia Manor Racing GP3 car and continue to work on the team’s qualifying performance.

On the first day all three drivers Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, Rio Haryanto and Matias Laine focused on working on race simulations ahead of the third round of the GP3 Series at the Valencia Street Circuit next week. During the first morning the drivers got to grips with the circuit, completing a total of 76 laps between them. Adrian managed to end up second after setting a time of 1:27.647, only 3 tenths away from the best time of the day. Matias was 13th and Rio, 25th. In the afternoon the team demonstrated good pace, with all three drivers finishing in the top ten. Rio was always within the leading quartet and after 30 laps and a best time of 1:28.409, he finished in first position. Adrian completed 31 laps and was 6th, while Matias finished 8th after 19 laps.

During the second and final day of testing in Valencia, all three drivers continued understanding the behaviour of the Pirelli P-Zero soft slick tyres, as well as concentrating on set-ups rather than trying to set quick times. Adrian, Rio and Matias added a further 96 laps to the teams tally, ending up 13th, 17th and 22nd respectively. Adrian improved his fastest lap time from yesterday, setting a personal best of 1:27.595. It was a very close final session this afternoon, with the top 20 drivers all within one second of each other. Rio set a time of 1:28.556, ending up second, while Matias was 12th and Adrian finished 21st.
The Marussia Manor Racing GP3 team will be back on track from the 24-26 June at the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain for the third round of the GP3 Series.


Pete Sliwinski, Team Manager
“This week we have demonstrated that we have the potential to be fighting at the top of the grid. We had the pace at the tests in Budapest and here in Valencia we have seen it again. So now we just need to put everything we have learned here into practice in the forthcoming races as well as focusing more during the qualifying sessions and get the best out of the tyres so that we can start the race in a good position.”
Rio Haryanto

“To be back at the top of the grid again is a good feeling. I know it’s only testing, but we have confirmed that we have good pace. We have done a really good job working on the car set-up during these two mid-season tests in Budapest and Valencia, and now we have to show that we can carry that through to the race next week weekend.”

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs
“Yesterday was good, as it showed that the direction we took in Hungary was the correct one and we backed it up with finishing second. Today we looked to further improve the set-up and concentrate on the behaviour of the tyres.”
Matias Laine
“I think we have done a good job here in Valencia. I feel comfortable in the car and we have achieved some good results. We have found a good set-up and I’m sure that we will be able to improve our performance in the next races.”

MARUSSIA MANOR RACING GP3 GOES TESTING IN BUDAPEST

After the first two races of the season, the Marussia Manor Racing GP3 Team this week took part in the first of the two mid-season tests at the Hungaroring in Budapest.

The team used this test to develop the set-up of the Marussia Manor Racing GP3 car as well as to continue understanding the behaviour of the Pirelli tyres and improve the team’s qualifying performance. During the first test day all three drivers Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, Rio Haryanto and Matias Laine completed a total of 127 laps between them, acquiring plenty of valuable data for the team. Adrian was always in the top 12 and finished yesterday’s afternoon session in third position with a best time of 1:38.487 - within a tenth of the leader - demonstrating that the team has good pace. Rio ended up 24^th in both sessions and Matias was 29^th in the morning and 23^rd in the afternoon.

Today’s second and last day of testing in Budapest was useful for Marussia Manor Racing to continue achieving more valuable information that will be used during the forthcoming races. Adrian’s lap times were indicating progress for the team and he improved his time to 1:37.849. He ended the morning 5^th and only three tenths away from the best time. Rio was 12^th and Matias 19^th, just over half a second away from the top of the timesheets. In the afternoon it started to rain and Adrian finished 12^th, Matias 16^th and Rio was 24^th, adding a further 116 laps to the teams tally.

The Marussia Manor Racing GP3 team will be back on track testing again in Valencia on the 16^th and 17^th of June, before going back to racing a week later, from the 24-26 June at the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain.

Pete Sliwinski, Team Manager

“It has been a very useful test, and one that we needed before returning to the racing. Our start to the season hasn’t been the best, and certainly not what we expected, but luckily this is still only the beginning and we still have time to react and get better. The good news is that we know we have the pace and here in Budapest we have seen it again. Now we just need to focus more during qualifying to start the race in a good position and fight at the top of the grid.”

Rio Haryanto

“It has been a very constructive two days here in Budapest. We needed to make sure we spent some time understanding how to improve and we have made progress for sure. We still have another two days of testing in Valencia so I’m sure that when we are back racing we will be stronger.”

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

“We came into this test looking to improve our qualifying performance, and we did. We started the day on our baseline set-up and gradually worked away at it and we think we have found a good solution now. I was P3 at the end of the day yesterday, and today we were also in the top positions. We still have another two days of testing in Valencia before the next race so I’m sure we can further fine tune our set-up.”

Matias Laine

“It’s always positive to have some testing days during the season. I think we have done a good job here in Budapest. Yesterday it wasn’t my best day, but today we found a good set-up. It started raining in the afternoon, and that didn’t really help us, but I am really happy with what we have done and I feel comfortable driving the car. It will be good to carry on working on all this at the Valencia test in two weeks’ time.”