Stupid Singapore

As the Model F1 World Championship concluded its European leg and went to Singapore, the Manor Mercedes team had high hopes of extending their podium streak. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado qualified 7th and 10th, respectively. Massa entered the top 5 quickly, but his fortunes began to turn when his overtake on Ferrari’s Kevin Magnussen was ruled illegal, as he passed Magnussen while bypassing the chicane to avoid a collision. On lap 43, Massa’s MM2 began to emit smoke, forcing a retirement. In the garage, the team attributed the incident to an engine failure. As for Maldonado, he remained within the low top 10/high teens range, but began dropping places to Magnussen, Giedo van der Garde and Lewis Hamilton. 11 laps after Massa’s retirement, Maldonado ran off the track in turns 18 and 19.

Team principal macus16 had little words to describe the weekend: “😅😅😅”.

The full race results can be viewed here.

Next week, the Model F1 World Championship heads to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix.

New Team Member

Prior to the weekend, Manor added a new member to the team: surferkev. A Computer Science student by day, the American joined the team during the week, stating that he likes the team logo and did not want to join a team that was already large in size. As of the publishing of this edition of Manor Motorsport Weekly, his role in the team has not yet been determined.

Welcome aboard!