Mat Coch writes:

Marussia team boss John Booth is sure his team will make a step forward this year.

After parting ways with former designer Nick Wirth midway through last season the team faced an uphill struggle to get its car ready for 2012.

Ironically the new car is still the product of a digital only CFD development process, though it has also seen time in a wind tunnel. It's something that was missing from the team's first two seasons, and for that reason Booth is confident the team has moved forward.

"Now you pick a component up and it feels like a Formula One component, it looks like a Formula One component," said Booth. "The only carry over is the front dampers and the steering wheel. Everything else is brand new.

"I think we'll be closer for sure," he added. "Probably not this weekend, we've given them a head start by not running for a month, so everyone has that start over us. There's no way we can get anywhere near optimising the performance of what we have, never mind developing anything. The drivers feel that there's a good base to develop the car from, and are really complimentary about the very few laps they've had in the car."

Elsewhere the team is recruiting, looking to expand its 165-strong workforce. "We know we're about 40 short but there's no point just hiring anybody," said the Englishman. "We need to have a correct process of getting the right people." Most of those will be designers and aerodynamicists to reinforce the technical team.

Frenchman Charles Pic is a new arrival at Banbury - the team's new headquarters. Having graduated from GP2 Booth believes he has potential. "I don't think he's won a championship but he's won races in every level he's raced at," he said. "He's got speed, he's very intelligent, he's one for the future for sure."

The immediate future is more pressing however. By debuting the car late the team is at risk of falling outside of the 107% mark in qualifying. It's a concern Booth confesses to having, though not overly so. While the Australian Grand Prix is one to be endured rather than experienced better things should follow as the season progresses.

Booth talks a good game. Despite the media scrutiny neither he nor the team seem panicked or stressed despite a backs-to-the-wall effort in the build up to the season. That he suggests a season in which the car was so late it was untested prior to the first race will be a step forward is either supreme confidence or misplaced optimism. Only time will tell.