05/07/2015
NEWS STORY
The Manor F1 Team achieved its best result of the 2015 season today, with Roberto Merhi finishing the British Grand Prix in 12th position and team-mate Will Stevens in 13th.
A sell-out crowd, intense racing, sunshine and showers - Silverstone delivered it all as the team celebrated the occasion of its home race with a strong performance in front of the British fans, which saw them edging towards a points-scoring position.
Roberto Merhi: "I'm so happy to end the team's home race in 12th position. To be honest, this had not been the best weekend for me prior to the race, but it all came good when it mattered and I found the performance I needed to get ahead. When the weather started to change and we switched to the Inters, it was very difficult to know what would happen next because the conditions were hard to read. We were a long time on the Inters before the rain intensified, which meant that we had to pit again for a new set quite close to the end of the race. The team has made some good progress here this weekend, so it was good to give everyone a nice reward for all their hard work over the past few months in preparing for the new upgrade. It has been a great weekend racing in front of the home crowd, and now we look forward to the next race ahead of the summer break."
Will Stevens: "A good result for the team but incredibly frustrating for me. The weekend up until the race had been really positive and even in the early part of the race we were going strong on the option tyres, which were working really well for me. When it started to rain we stopped for Inters but we had 15 laps on them and the worst of the rain only lasted for a couple of laps. I was effectively on slicks by the end of the race and that's what caused me to spin off and damage my nose. Overall, we have to look at the positives though. We've made a good step forward here, so well done to the team, and the support of my home crowd has been incredible. All in all it has been a special weekend and one to remember."
John Booth, Team Principal: "What a great race! A classic British Grand Prix which had a bit of everything. In particular, the changeable conditions kept us all on the edge of our seats, with the intensity of the rain being very difficult to read. Both Will and Roberto delivered a strong performance today and it was nice to see everything coming together for Roberto after having a rather more frustrating earlier part of the weekend. We did experience a software glitch, which affected the calling of Will's first pit stop and lost him a substantial amount of time in the pit box. Towards the end of the race, the combination of the greasy conditions and Will's worn intermediates caused him to spin off, damaging the nose in the process. Nonetheless, our excellent reliability enabled us to achieve a good two-car finish in front of our home crowd. The fans have been incredible all weekend, so I'm pleased we were able to shine a little in today's race."
Check out our Sunday gallery, here.