Struggles in San Marino

The Model F1 World Championship made its trip to Imola for the San Marino Grand Prix, an event that’s a new addition to the MF1 calendar. As such, Manor hoped to give the fans a strong showing and a lasting impact as the winners of the inaugural MF1 San Marino Grand Prix. Alas, that was not meant to be.

Carmen Jordá and Daniel Ricciardo qualified 4th and 5th, a stark contrast to their qualifying successes earlier in the season. The team’s woes began to grow early in the race when Jordá ran through the gravel trap on lap 10 due to brake troubles; though she was able to reach as high as 2nd, she began to fall and could only finish 5th. As for her teammate, Ricciardo was able to lead after Nico Hülkenberg pitted, but started to lose power with less than 12 laps to go and had to settle for 3rd behind the two Ferraris.

Miserable Montreal

Hoping to bounce back from a frustrating weekend in Imola, Manor went to Montreal fresh with a new partnership with Red Bull Martini Racing (story below). Unfortunately for both teams, things did not go as they had hoped.

Jordá and Ricciardo regressed from their starting positions in San Marino with a 5th and 6th place spot for the Canadian Grand Prix. Ricciardo had a strong start and entered podium territory by lap 18 and taking the lead on lap 27. However, he fell to 4th by lap 30; although he reclaimed first on lap 40, a pit stop 5 laps later dropped him to 3rd. After taking 2nd, he was unable to hold off the Ferrari of Felipe Nasr and had to settle for 2nd. Meanwhile, Jordá ran a quiet early race, the lone moment being a trip through the grass on lap 23. On lap 63, however, she lost her front wing on the straight leading to Wall of Champions, forcing her to pit. She finished 6th to culminate the team’s worst finish of the season.

Despite this, the team remains atop the World Constructors Championship standings with 266 points, an 89-point margin over Mercedes. Ricciardo and Jordá also continue to lead the Drivers Championship, the Australian with 135 points and the Spaniard with 106.

Next week, the Model F1 World Championship travels to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix.

A New Romance

The Manor/Mercedes breakup has been a major headline in the MF1 news over the course of the season. As a result, last Friday, Manor Team Principal announced the team had formed a new partnership with Red Bull Martini Racing. RBMR, the result of a merger between Red Bull Racing and Williams Martini Racing, has been struggling in the MF1 standings with only 5 total points between Sebastian Vettel (4) and Lewis Hamilton (1).

“Following on from the Manor-Mercedes breakup that rocked MF1 harder than Branjelina, Manor and Red Bull Martini are pleased to announce a new relationship is brewing,” he stated. “Manor will take the role of the Parent team, with Red Bull the junior, but we are all equals in Manor’s eyes. Please refer to us as partners.”

The staff of Manor Motorsport Weekly offers our blessings to this new partnership.

Australian Rules (Canadian) Football

In comparison to past seasons, Manor hasn’t had much involvement in publicity events, citing a lack of time to organize such events. However, that didn’t stop Ricciardo from attending a Montreal Alouettes practice during the Canadian Grand Prix week. There, he was allowed to participate in passing drills, even going as far as to dress up in team gear.

“This definitely ain’t like what I see in the NFL and rugby. The rules are just crazy,” he quipped. “But I got a hell of an arm, though. If anyone needs a quarterback, you know where to find me.”

Of course, that probably won’t be happening for a while due to scheduling conflicts, but it will be interesting to see what he’ll be up to once the United States Grand Prix arrives.