ROCKET MEN
Pascal and Rio impress in Bahrain to deliver Manor Racing’s first two-car finish of 2016
The Race, 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 3 April Bahrain International Circuit :
Pascal MRT05-02 P13 Fastest lap 1:35.448
Rio MRT05-01 P17 Fastest lap 1:36.685
Manor Racing enjoyed a thrilling battle in Bahrain today to secure its first two-car finish of the 2016 season. Pascal Wehrlein finished in 13th place after a spectacular drive saw him overtake both Force India cars and finish ahead of Felipe Nasr’s Sauber. Rio Haryanto took his first chequered flag after a confident race to 17th.
Pascal Wehrlein:
“It was a great race for me. I can’t even compare it to the one in Melbourne because it felt like a completely different race. The car was better, the way we could manage the tyres was better – everything was just a big improvement. It was quite chaotic to begin with but that happens in the midfield so I’m not going to complain. My start was good and I managed to avoid any contact, then the rest of the first stint was really good fun. It was nice to be so competitive. I was 7th at one point and I really enjoyed getting past the Force Indias. It would have been good to take the second Sauber at the end but I had started to lose the tyres by then. We still experienced some tyre degradation, which is why we switched to a three-stop strategy, but it was much better than the last race and another good sign for us. I want to thank the whole team for today. I had a great car and it’s exciting to see how much more potential we have. I can’t wait for China now.”
Rio Haryanto:
“It was great to see the chequered flag today. It feels good to have a race distance under my belt, which is vital experience for me and the team as it gives us more data to analyse and develop the car further. The start was good and we were in the mix with the Saubers and Renaults but I think we did a different strategy to those around us. We also suffered with tyre degradation, which really hampered our progress. Shanghai is a track I know well so I’m looking forward to making another step forward there.”
Dave Ryan, Racing Director:
“Congratulations to the whole team on a really impressive job today in a race that showed how far we’ve come even since Melbourne. Both drivers performed impeccably, keeping us on the edge of our seats from start to finish and demonstrating real maturity for two young rookies. Obviously Pascal had a dream race for where we are right now and did an incredible job getting past both Force Indias. I am however going to temper our excitement because with the package we have we’re still only on the first rung on a fairly tall ladder. There’s some way to go and some very obvious potential that we have yet to tap into. Having said that, it’s rewarding to see the hard work starting to pay off and the team beginning to grow in stature. We’re a much stronger unit operationally and in particular I’d like to acknowledge the contribution of our support team back at base in Banbury, who have been with us every step of the weekend. On to China now where I hope we will see further signs of our continued improvement.”
