Manor Go on a Recruitment Drive

After the United States Grand Prix at the tail end of last season, many of us thought that Manor Marussia would cease to exist as a Formula 1 outfit. But despite the administrators and thanks to the financial backing of the founder of Ovo Energy and business know-how from Justin King, Manor continue to race in 2015. But they have seemingly no intention of staying at the back of the field for long and have subsequently been adding big names from the paddock to their pay roll.

© Octane Photographic Ltd.

The headline signing is Bob Bell. The former Mercedes technical director has been hired as a consultant to the team management. His tenure with Mercedes only ended in November, and having been part of the 2005 and 2006 Constructors’ Titles for Renault as well as 3 other outfits, he brings a wealth of experience to the team. All this means that he will be able to recommend the necessary steps in order to move Manor up the pecking order over the next few season by advising the management.

Bob Bell bringing his experience to Manor.

The other notable additions to Manor’s workforce are Luca Furbatto and Gianluca Pisanello. Luca is the former chief designer from Toro Rosso as well as working for McLaren over the course of 10 years. He will take the role of Head of Design for the South Yorkshire constructors. Gianluca joins the Manor setup from former rivals, Caterham, and is now chief engineer.

In a statement Team Principal John Booth said, “We’re delighted to welcome Bob, Luca, and Gianluca to the team… It’s been a dramatic but rewarding start to our 2015 season, and we’re only now able to settle into more of a rhythm, allowing us to look to the future.” Before adding that, “Each of them brings a huge amount of experience from within the sport, adding further dimensions to our existing technical and engineering capability.”

“Whilst we seek to optimise our performance during the remainder of the 2015 season, we can also turn our attention to the next exciting chapter in our story – 2016 and beyond.”

Manor have also added a member to their driving staff. They have confirmed that 2013 GP2 Champion Fabio Leimer will be the team’s official reserve driver. This means that we can expect to see the 26 year-old out on track in FP1 seasons throughout the rest of 2015. The addition of the Swiss driver will also put added pressure on Roberto Mehri who has been thoroughly beaten by teammate Will Stevens throughout the first part of the season.

1st Reserve: Fabio Leimer
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Simply making the 2015 entry list has been a fantastic achievement for Manor considering their turmoil over the last 6 months. But their latest appointments show their intention to stay on the grid and to work their way up the order over the coming years.