Banbury United Kingdom

The Russian-licensed underdog that scored its first and only points at Monaco 2014.

The Marussia F1 Team, later the Manor Marussia F1 Team, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and later Dinnington, South Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. It competed with a Russian licence from 2012 to 2014 and a British licence in 2015. The team was operated by Manor Motorsport, previously a subsidiary of Marussia Motors, a now defunct sports car manufacturer based in Moscow. The team originally started racing in 2010 under the 'Virgin Racing' name, before being fully rebranded as the 'Marussia F1 Team' for 2012.

Quick Facts

Team name: Marussia F1 Team
First season: 2012

Lore & Background

Marussia scored its first and only championship points at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix, where its leading driver, Jules Bianchi, finished ninth. In doing so, Marussia became the first Russian-licensed constructor to score world championship points. Following a serious crash and injuries sustained by Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, which resulted in his death the following year, the team raced for the first time with a single car at the inaugural 2014 Russian Grand Prix.

On 26 October 2014, news reports emerged that the team would not participate at the 2014 United States Grand Prix due to financial reasons. On 7 November 2014, the administrator announced that the team had ceased trading. The team exited administration on 19 February 2015, and was re-established as the Manor Marussia F1 Team after a CVA had been signed and new investment was secured to rescue the team. Former Sainsbury's CEO Justin King was reportedly the team's main backer.

The team retained Marussia as its constructor name throughout the 2015 season, also adopting British nationality. In 2016, the team announced a name change to 'Manor Racing'.

Reader's Guide

Marussia's history is a story of survival against the odds. The team started as Virgin Racing in 2010, finishing twelfth and last in the Constructors' Championship. In November 2010, Marussia Motors purchased a controlling stake, and the team became 'Marussia Virgin Racing' for 2011. Following a disappointing start to 2011, the team parted company with Wirth Research and entered a partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies ahead of the 2012 season.

This brought a relocation from the original base in Dinnington to the old Wirth premises in Banbury. The team's 2012 car, the MR01, was the only car on the grid not to have KERS, a status that lasted only for one race weekend. At the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Timo Glock produced the then best ever race result for Marussia, finishing in 12th place. In 2013, Max Chilton became the first rookie driver ever to finish every race in a season.

The team's 2014 car, the MR03, was powered by Ferrari engines after Cosworth elected not to build an engine for the new regulations.