Pascal Wehrlein claims Manor is no longer alone at the bottom of the F1 pecking order. Last year, the team was clearly the sport's backmarker, but German rookie Wehrlein finished 18th in China, ahead of a Haas, Sauber and Renault in a race in which there was not a single retirement.
"I beat four cars but we still need big steps forward," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "We have the pace of Sauber and Renault," Wehrlein added. Manor, Sauber and Renault are all yet to score a point in 2016. (GMM)
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
Replies (3)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
They sure have gained pace, not enough to challenge Sauber and Renault, but they are definitely up there. I dont think China was very representative though, its a very powerfocused track, so its natural that teams with Mercedes engines will have an edge here. More importantly, the current driver lineup for Manor is quite good, Haryanto has definitely been better than expected, and Wehrlein has been very strong. I was afraid he was a pushover since Mercedes dawdled with him in DTM and basically carried him to the title, but shame on me for fearing that I guess! Could very well be the next Vettel!
Vet5
Posts: 225
Def quick on the straights but not quick enough in the corners, introduce better suspension set-ups and short front nose and they should be getting past Sauber. But ofcourse this is costly, well done for them still being on the grid and that's why I like them. Phoenix Racing is what they should have rebranded themselves as! :)
RacetoWin
Posts: 95
They need to add an S duct badly, they can build it in the nose quickly like force india's