+1

I think you are right, but HEY, maybe CFD-only modelling is the next turbo?

Maybe they need a faster computer?

One day late, but here it goes: Interview with Di Grassi to Tazio (Google translation)

What I would really like to understand is why a driver of Timo Glock's calibre has signed up so soon to Manor. He was surely still in at a shot with Renault or perhaps even Mercedes if they do go the all-German route.

All I can think of is he eithers knows something about Manor that we don't and wanted to get in there fast, or he read the news about Button today which confirmed Mercedes still have one seat available and he thought "F*ck....."

The suggestion is that Renault are going to sell a 40% stake in the team to a consortium led by the Russians, with Vitaly Petrov being granted the second berth alongside Kubica.

I've heard Kovy could get the Renault seat too. Petrov could still be with Campos. That said Renault need the money so Petrov is perfectly plausible for Renault and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

This is an article by Jorge Girão to the www.sportmotores.com website, published this Wednesday, which I've translated.

Interesting job advert at Manor here: http://www.recruitment.com/job-summary/hea...html?id=3046089

"as music will play a large role in brand strategy, it will be your job to curate, produce and manage music activations throughout the year that support the brand overall brand strategy."

The music element certainly seems to be confirmation enough of the long mooted, but not yet officially announced, Virgin sponsorship/takeover. Could be some interesting tie-ups there through the season, although I'm not really sure what artists Virgin has on it's roster these days.

The job is based in London too, which is neither Dinnington nor Bicester, the two centres from which Manor will supposedly operate from. Good to see this team like to keep things uncomplicated...

This is wierd because the Sheffield Star (the local newspaper) reported that they believed that there would also be head offices in london.

I wonder if they are doing advertising in London, production in Bicester and the actual day-to-day running in Sheffield. The team has planning permission for an extension at the Sheffield office and they've said it will keep the Yorkshire values. However, as Virgin are total experts in advertising, music etc... it would make total sense for that to be based in London. They have their own record label and stuff.

My dad used to work for the council and says that they would stuggle to get the planning permission for a factory in Dinnington big enough to hose an F1 team including the building of the cars. However he worked for Sheffield City Council and Manor would have had to have applied to Rotherham District Council, so he has no idea if he would have been ccorrect with that assumption.

There are several drivers negotiating for Manor's second seat (Parente, Di Grassi, Carroll, Guerrieri, Baguette, perhaps Klien), but it will depend on which one of them has the money (at least 7 million euros, I understand) or the biggest amount of it...

on the CFD thing, it is a big step for a f1 team to go for it only, but its a pretty powerful tool, and its quicker and cheaper than windtunnel testing, and you can do higher speed than the windtunnel too, and model exhausts and radiators etc

plus i guess u could cut down the computing time by only using half a car model for some bits

I don't want to suggest this as being authorative but I am told by a motorsport recruitment outlet that the Dinnington base is yet to advertise any vacancies. I find this amazing as the staff already there are based within their other race operations and I would assume they would stay assigned to those roles, not the F1 team.

Regarding their building, it's tough to get a definitive answer on this. It's claimed (rothbiz.co.uk) that they applied for planning permission but try as I might I've never found it on the Rotherham Council's website (planning applications are available for public view under UK law). Somebody claimed within this thread that building work had started and they were hoping to take some photos but it hasn't happened yet. I still can't believe that considering how fanatical we all are about F1 nobody in the Yorks & Humber region is even remotely interested in having a short drive out in the car to see what's going on there.

The idea with the Dinnington base was that the car parts are supposedly to be manufactured in Bicester and shipped to Dinnington where they will be assembled, the Dinnington base being the operations side of the team. This job in London doesn't fit with all this really, but then again I suppose you'd never expect a record company to allow any of it's staff to be situated in the north, considering according to the music industry nothing happens beyond Kentish Town.

What I find most bizarre about this is that all of the new teams, other than Manor, have all advertised fairly extensively for staff. Manor clearly are going to happen, hence Glock's signing, but probably nowhere near in the form that was proposed to the FIA in their application. Is that fair? Should a team in Sheffield make a song and dance about reaching F1 when in reality they just had a successful application and ultimately unoffically sold it on?

They have said it will create 50 jobs in the region.

I have every intention of having a look at Manor however due to circumstances (I've got a pot on my foot and I dont drive) its a little bit difficult atm.

A Sheffield team would not make a song and dance about it for 2 reasons. Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

Manor agenda (from what I can gather) is a green agenda. They are also financially sound. Lloyds are investing but not sponsoring, Virgin and who else I've no idea. Manor have been in motorsports for 20 years, they wouldn't go into F1 and say here's my ticket, come and buy me. It would ruin their reputation. There were at least 4 drivers on the 2009 grid that had driven for Manor, 2 happen to be F1 WDC's. Although I am concerned about the CFD usage (a bit of an unknown to do it completely from CFD) they are secure enough to warrant Glock to pick them over current teams, I would doubt that it would be a financial decision.

I wondered what Manor meant with Yorkshire values, however your post makes me realise what it is.

Keep yor head down
Shut up
Dont brag
Get your work done.

They will be the greenest F1 team on the grid. Not that this is particularly hard... Let's just say an F1 team couldn't get any greener than Virgin F1... I mean Manor. And i am not talking about the cars colour scheme...

The whole circus should follow their lead! Expect a formal announcement around the time of the UN Copenhagen Conference...

I am curious what they can do, other than run everything (excluding their F1 cars) on something greener than unleaded or diesel. We already know the F1 cars have to run on a certain fuel spec and I don't see that changing for 2010, the engine designs are all wel advanced at this stage.

Being a supporter of green stuff anything would be a pleasure to see, I just can't imagine what. They'll still use the same amount of transport during the season as any other team.

F1 Scoop

Glock Watch+ Timo Glock is set to bring Deutsche Post / DHL #sponsorship cash to his new team, Virgin / Manor. #F1 #motorsport

The planning application is here: http://roam.rotherham.gov.uk/PDF/PlanningPDF/RB2009-0846.pdf

It includes information I used in my article on Rothbiz about what the building will be used for.

Planning permission was granted on September 11, the decision notice is here: http://roam.rotherham.gov.uk/PDF/PlanningP...RB2009-0846.pdf

At the time of the announcement in June, John Booth told the Rotherham Advertiser:



Just to clarify, despite having a Sheffield address and postcode, and a Worksop phone number, the Manor Motorsport buildings are in Rotherham.

The Rotherham Advertiser and Yorkshire Post are starting to cover Manor stories regularly (Virgin, Glock etc.) which is good for raising awareness locally.

Just a quick explanation of why its in Rotherham, but they can advertise it as Sheffield (as they do on their website), Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Chesterfield has a strange border in splitting them apart. Parts of Sheffield encroach into the other towns, and sometimes they move from one town to another. Where I live for instance has only been part of Sheffield for 50 years, despite being in existance for many more. In one area called Chapeltownthere is a road wher you can be going up it and for 100m you can be in Sheffield, the next 100m you are in Barnsley then you are back in Sheffield.

I couldn't find half of that stuff. Thanks for that.

I'm just wondering what they can do within next years technical regs that can make them greener. I'd love to know where Italiano Tifosi is getting this information from and why so interested, especially with a username of Italiano Tifosi.

Q & A with John Booth about the Macau Grand Prix and the 2010 F1 season

Trust Clarkson + Co on Top Gear to take Sheffield F1 outfit Manor's F1 entry seriously... " I had a job down't pit now ive got a job int' pit"

Was that a spoof or did that just happen in tonight's "news" segment?

Clarkson is a local boy.

I haven't seen it yet.

Well I've finally seen Top Gear. Jeremy, you haven't got a clue!

Tha spent tooo long in Linconshia. Thi accent was terrable, that accent woz horrible.

Thi ant got a clue wot yur talkin about.

Sayin that am glad that they r supportin mano.



Not sure bout the music bit tho. I'd a gon fo ooman leeg

Manor to me launched by Branson on Monday in London either this week or next. Team with the greenest credentials ever.

Can you leak more about it?

I'm hoping to go to Manor GP on Friday. Hopefully they might let me take some pictures. If they do, I'll see if I can post them. They probably wont be that exciting though.

But it would be quite interesting for us.

I'll be lucky to be able to take any inside. They don't even know I'm turning up. They'll be more than likely of the factory itself from the outside. At least it will show whether any development is going on.

So lets wait for friday.

I can't wait to be honest. I'm relying on my dad to take me there. When I asked him the reply was a grunt. No enthusiasm whatsoever. I wouldn't mind, but its because of him I love the sport. He's only got himself to blame. I'll see if my photo's are good enough to post.

I just wish Italiano Tifosi would be a little more specific with the clues being given out.

Good luck with the trip! Take grunt from dad as a yes!

Sorry, i have been sworn to secrecy, it is not a "game changing" thing, but just something i think F1 teams should have done 5 years ago.
Manor Launch on Monday in London.

Ok, thats fairly specific. I'll let you off.

There's this mildly weird news article on the portuguese Autosport's website which talks about Parente having been again in Wirth Research's simulator last friday, setting "brilliant" times with a GP2 car and with a LMS car on the simulator. Apparently they think this made him a step closer to signing with the team, or something. I'm not really sure how that works.

Now, the interesting bit is that "sources close to the driver say that his situation should be clarified until the end of this month". My fear, specially after reading one of the user comments on the website, is that this ties in suspiciously well with Lucas Di Grassi's clause with Renault which expires next Monday - after that, Lucas is free to drive for Virgin...

I suspect they're just keeping Alvaro hopeful as a plan B, in the eventual, unlikely case that Renault signs Lucas.

I would guess the key will probably be to not ask if you can take any photos, certainly of the outside at least. I would suggest you just pull up, jump out and reel-off a few shots, then give it some legs!!

Having said that, on the planning application pdf is that a supermarket car-park one can see directly next to Manor on the photo? Surely the least glamorous venue of any F1 team ever, althought I suppose Ken Tyrrell's wooden-shed would take some beating.

Anyhow - if you're heading over that way you may as well ring the bell and ask if you can have a look around, even if you can't take any photos. You never know, you might get some freebies or something too. Or give them a ring. I understand they're a friendly bunch.

You must be joking. I am walking right up to the front door firstly. They might be able to stop me taking photo's internally but they cant stop me taking them from across the street.

Looks like Italiano Tifoso was spot on about the announcement on Monday.

BTW what has happened with the story of VIRGIN to purchase the Manor?

I believe it is expected "before Christmas".

Some piccies







Not a lot to see really.

So, how was it?

Cold!

Other than that, they wouldn't let me inside but you can see cars and trophies from the outside, but unfortunately the pictures didn't come out properly. I asked Laura Booth if I could take the pictures and she was really nice and said fine.

There was a lot of building work going on and that was quite embarrassing taking the pictures in front of the builders.

Thanks for the pictures and info.
I guess we'll have to wait a little more.

At least everyone can see that there is something going on. It shows that someone has been up there and there is evidence that what has been said so far by Manor is true (regarding the factory). Its not massive but its going to obviously be a lot bigger. Not sure how obviouse it is in the pictures, but the new building is 2 stories high, and its a wierd shape which makes it quite deceptive to its actual size. From the car park it looks smaller than it does when you walk around it (not inside obviously).

There's something about the decentralized nature of this outfit that allows this kind of smaller space.
I'm not really concerned about it.
And it's always good to know that things are moving there.

A pat on the back for you there mate, good on you for having a pop over there to check it out and reporting back.

No problem. I think the builders thought I was from the council or something because it probably looked a bit odd a woman in business dress walking (well hobbling in my case) round taking pictures.

I guess so.
People look strange at me when I stop to take pictures of old buildings downtown here, in business suit.

And thanks again.

Hobby or business purposes?

I'm used to getting strange looks when it comes to F1. You tend to get funny looks buying an F1 mag (of any description) when you are a woman. Even weirder when reading them in public. Nobody seems to think that a woman could be into motorsport (unless you follow it properly, because there are a lot of women on these message boards) or any reason other than finding a driver good looking which would not be enough of a reason to be sat reading Autosport on the bus.

Hobby, I'd PM you the link to my flickr account if I've kept it.
I've the feeling that people may think that I work for the city hall or something.
It's particular odd because it's not very advisable to carry a camera downtown Rio.

And I guess that I have to apologize myself, because it took me a while to realize you was a woman.