Manor Racing unveiled their 2016 racing car, the MRT05, on the first official day of pre-season Formula 1 testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The team have even described the MRT05 as this is the best it has ever produced, thanks to a technical partnership with Mercedes and Williams.
Considered to the most powerful engine on the grid, the Mercedes power unit will aid performance for Manor Racing. In addition, the Williams engineered transmission and other key components is expected to bring the team much closer to competitiveness after six seasons adrift in the midfield pack.
Manor technical director John McQuilliam said the team was confident of a massive step forward in 2016.
“Even at this early stage of the game, we can easily say this is the best car we’ve ever launched,” he said.
“Certainly the most developed, the most ambitious and the most aggressive.
“The overall package is a very significant step forward, not just from last year, but from any of the cars from our stable.
“Yes, we have a long way to go from here in terms of developing the MRT05, but it’s already a dream package for the 154 Manor Racing people who’ve worked so hard to design and build it.”
Manor’s new racing director Dave Ryan, who arrived after the exits of founders John Booth and Graeme Lowdon last year, said he had been impressed by what he had seen at the team so far.
“It’s been a very busy time, but it has really served to underline everything I thought when I first agreed to join the team – a great little operation, with huge potential and the vision and ambition to make a big step forward,” Ryan said.
“The team did a laudable job last year given its circumstances over the previous winter.
“This year, with the package we have, we need to be every inch the professional racing outfit.”
Manor Racing only just made it to the start of the 2015 campaign after being rescued from administration on the eve of the season, and used a modified 2014 car for the year.
It has an all-rookie driver line-up in DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein and GP2 race winner Rio Haryanto.
News story:
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/manor-unleashes-its-2016-challenger-674822/?tm=31&tmm=1
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/17581/10155197/manor-launch-their-2016-f1-car-the-mrt05
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/02/22/manor-mrt05-first-pictures-revealed/
http://wtf1.co.uk/manor-racing-reveal-new-look-for-2016/
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Manor have taken the wraps off the car which F1 rookies Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto will campaign in 2016 – the MRT05.
The new machine, which was revealed at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on the opening morning of pre-season testing, is described by Manor Technical Director John McQuilliam as “the best car we’ve ever launched. Certainly the most developed, the most ambitious and the most aggressive.”
Featuring some 3,393 new parts compared to its predecessor, as well as a brand-new Mercedes power unit, Manor are hopeful that the MRT05 will move them up the grid in 2016.
“The overall package is a very significant step forward, not just from last year, but from any of the cars from our stable,” said McQuilliam.
“We delayed the monocoque programme to wait for the new power unit, which was well worth waiting for of course. The Mercedes-Benz PU106C Hybrid Power Unit is a magnificent feat of engineering and we’re proud and excited to be powered by championship-winning technology developed by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. We also have a very competitive transmission package thanks to our technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering, who supply our gearbox and other rear-end components. Together with the efforts of our accomplished aero and mechanical design teams, that’s a pretty impressive package.
“The MRT05 is a contender. We really believe that. The design team have focused almost exclusively on it since the middle of last season and it’s just a whole different ball game to any of its predecessors. We haven’t left any performance on the table and right now I can say there’s not a single part of the car we’d have designed differently.”
New racing director Dave Ryan explained that Manor’s targets for the forthcoming season are twofold: “Respectability and competitiveness,” he said. “We are done with just turning up just to make everyone else look good and every single person in this team is looking forward to the first race in Melbourne in a few weeks’ time.
“We know we have to improve in every area and in no way do we underestimate the opposition, but we have assembled a great group of people, we have a fantastic technical partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Williams Advanced Engineering and now it’s up to us to deliver.”
“The team did a laudable job last year given its circumstances over the previous winter. This year, with the package we have, we need to be every inch the professional racing outfit.”
Mercedes protege Wehrlein was tasked with giving the MRT05 its track debut in Barcelona, with the German, who won last year’s DTM title, expected to hand the car over to new team mate Haryanto – who signed with the team less than a week ago – later in the test.
Source: Formula1.com