The first Manor GP single-seater will run in early February

Manor GP is one of the four new teams that will be present on the 2010 grid. Their first Formula One chassis should be finalized by the end of November, according to Nick Wirth.

The team is therefore on schedule at the moment, with the aim of being present on the starting grid for the opening race of the 2010 season, in Bahrain on March 14.

« We have already started assembling the parts on a chassis mock-up, and the first real chassis is under construction and should be ready in 4 to 5 weeks. » It will have to go through all the FIA tests and crash-tests to receive its homologation.

Nick Wirth leads the design and creation of Manor GP’s first Formula 1 car through his company, Wirth Research, in partnership with the team. The 43-year-old engineer has not been involved in designing a Formula One car since the 1999 Benetton. Moreover, Manor GP has reportedly secured the services of aerodynamicist Ben Agathangelou, formerly with Benetton, Jaguar, Red Bull, Honda, and Brawn GP, and who worked for Dallara in 2009, as well as Christian Silk, who has been at Enstone since 1989 and has thus worked for Benetton and then Renault as head of testing.

The future single-seater of Manor GP will be powered by a Cosworth engine. It was entirely designed virtually using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and will not spend a single second in a wind tunnel. «We do not use a wind tunnel. We develop the aerodynamics completely by computer using CFD. We will not spend a single day in a wind tunnel, not even for a check,» said Nick Wirth.

The team has already conducted stress tests on the models of the future chassis, which have reassured and validated the construction options of the team: «I am very satisfied with the way the crash tests are proceeding and therefore, I am able to predict that the first car will be able to run at the beginning of February.» stated Nick Wirth.

The team aims to be at least the best of the four new teams next year, but Nick Wirth remains realistic and thinks the new regulations will help the team move towards the front. “We will start from the back of the grid, but we hope to be ahead of the new teams, then we will put pressure on the established teams,” warns the Briton.

The new regulations this year have shaken things up compared to 2008, and next year, the rules will be very different again and will therefore require different cars, particularly regarding the larger fuel tank capacity, the increase in minimum weight, tires, and aerodynamics… This range of changes should not be underestimated as it could well lead to surprises. added Nick Wirth.