24/05/2015
NEWS STORY
Roberto Merhi ended his debut Monaco Grand Prix in 16th position today, achieving the best result of his rookie season so far. His team-mate Will Stevens made it another two-car finish for the Manor Marussia F1 Team, bringing his car home in 17th position having experienced a more frustrating Monaco debut after sustaining front wing damage early in the race.
Roberto Merhi: "I'm really happy with my result today. The pace was good and it was a great feeling to be racing in my first Monaco Grand Prix. I'm pleased for the team to get another two-car finish and we have plenty of data again to understand how we can keep improving the car for the next few races. The past few races have been tough but it feels like everything is coming together now. Canada will be a new and different experience again but it feels like we are making good progress now."
Will Stevens: "It's nice to take the chequered flag at my first Monaco Grand Prix and it's another good result for the team, getting both cars to the finish once again. It wasn't a straightforward race though; quite tough in fact. I picked up some front wing damage on my first lap and the combination of struggling for downforce whilst being on the prime tyre really hurt our race, and of course put me behind Roberto. So quite a bit of frustration along the way but we continue to be encouraged by our reliability and some improvement in pace here this weekend."
John Booth, Team Principal: "Roberto drove a strong race today and was clearly relishing his debut at this historic circuit. He had good pace and has started to find a better groove after struggling rather more at the last race in Spain. For Will things were a little more frustrating as it seems that damage to his front wing was more severe than was apparent, so it was a long race for him. Nonetheless, we are pleased to get both cars home for the fourth race in succession and to see we have improved the car a little here versus the teams directly ahead. It hasn't been an easy week for the team as this event carries so much significance for us, but we have achieved our target of a strong race and a two-car finish. Although it is a very different result to the one we left Monaco with 12 months ago, in the context of this year it is a good performance."
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