A potential investment in the Manor Racing MRT squad has not been jeopardised by the team’s failure to keep hold of tenth place in the Constructors’ Championship, according to team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.
Manor held tenth for much of the season thanks to Pascal Wehrlein’s excellent tenth place finish in the Austrian Grand Prix back in July, but Felipe Nasr’s ninth place for the Sauber F1 Team in the penultimate race of the year in Brazil saw them usurped for the position and cost them millions of dollars of prize money.
Despite this, Fitzpatrick insists talks are continuing with investors, believed to involve American businessman Tavo Hellmund, and although disappointed that tenth place was snatched away, plans were made to cater for just that scenario.
“It doesn’t help financially but the terms of our agreement have been… refinalised, let’s say,” said Fitzpatrick on f1i.com.
“It was clear that in tenth place with one point on the board, two races left, that there are lots of scenarios and you plan for those in advance, so, from my point of view it’s disappointing but it’s not unexpected – or at least not a surprise.”
