Malaysia 2015 - GP Preview - Manor Ferrari

Round 2 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the 2015 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, takes the Manor Marussia F1 Team to Malaysia for the first of four visits to the Far East over the coming season. The Sepang International Circuit represents an entirely different challenge for the teams and drivers after the parkland setting of the season-opener in Melbourne. This is one of the most demanding and technical circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, underpinned by a complex blend of high-speed straights and tighter twisting sections, which the drivers love. The fierce heat and humidity make for a challenging environment in the garage and in the cockpit, and a sudden downpour can radically change the landscape of the race in a matter of seconds.

John Booth, Team Principal

“After the disappointment of not meeting our objectives in Australia, we head to Malaysia this week hoping for a more typical race weekend. We headed back to the UK to regroup technically and bolster the work we had completed in the field in Melbourne, and as a result we are in a different position to the one we were in two weeks ago. Again, the rate at which we are progressing, when one takes into account our circumstances pre-season, is very impressive and everyone in the team is to be commended on a huge continued effort. Sepang always throws up its own unique challenges, thanks to the combination of fierce heat and a well-timed downpour, but we look forward to debuting the car and our two young drivers and to finally start getting down to business on the racetrack.”

Will Stevens

“It’s great to be heading to Malaysia in the knowledge that we are in a different place to our situation in Melbourne. Sepang is a fantastic and very technical track, so it will be a good test of our package. I’m really excited about being able to begin the development programme and to start to understand what we have and where we are in relation to the competition.”

Roberto Merhi

“I’m very excited about the prospect of making my F1 debut in Malaysia. Obviously Sepang is a challenging environment, so I have been doing all I can on my side to prepare for that to be able to manage the heat and humidity. The last race weekend was disappointing for everyone in the team, but I know how much work has gone into getting us fully operational again and it will be great for everyone to finally see wheels turning.”