[F1] UPDATE: Manor Marussia on F1 2015 Entry List

Manor (Marussia) Makes It Official: Ferrari To Supply Engines

(If They Race)

We've all been trying to keep up with the ongoing saga of the embattled Manor Grand Prix Racing (formerly known as Marussia F1) and their efforts to get back on the grid for 2015.There is so much going on with them and their relationships with other teams, namely Ferrari and McLaren/Honda, that everything is probably still more speculation and educated guessing than anything else. Just yesterday, we did get word that Ferrari has absolutely, positively, without a doubt, guaranteed to supply their engines to the struggling Manor team. Although, Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, has probably set a new record for stressing and repeating the word "Verbally" in his statements. If...IF...Manor GP is successful in their attempts to return to F1, Ferrari have agreed in principal to supply the team with 2014 engines. Although there are still a number of hurdles standing between Manor/Marussia and a comeback, Arrivabene confirmed in a press conference today that Ferrari has verbally agreed to power the team with last season’s power unit.

Nobody, Manor included, know what car the team will run since a proposal to run their 2014 car was rejected by F1's Strategy Group (Thanks Force India!). The current speculation is the team will race as early as it can with its interim model, which is a 2014 chassis modified to meet the current 2015 spec, then try to field a fully bespoke 2015 car during the early part of the season. Though there are no still no guarantees Manor can return to the grid the agreement with Ferrari is another major step in the right direction for the outfit which has not raced since last year's Russian Grand Prix.

Money/McLaren/Marussia/Manor

Manor operated as Marussia F1 Team until last autumn, when the team basically went belly up and fell into administration. However, an enormous effort by the team’s former management has allowed the company to exit administration as it bids to reach the grid in 2015.
It was speculated that McLaren could play a role in the resurrection of the team following it's exit from administration, thinking that Manor might nominate Woking as the venue for its wind tunnel program, while McLaren was reportedly “trying to convince Honda” to supply the team with engines.

McLaren and Ferrari both wrote off tremendous sums when Marussia folded. One would assume that McLaren (and Ferrari, for that matter) would have done more in the strategy meetings to get them back in the game. One would also assume that McLaren could have done a better job of parlaying their technical partnership into being an engine supplier as well. Essentially allowing McLaren to field a 4 car squad. But Ferrari appears to have outworked them, thereby securing their opportunity to earn their money back. Ferrari, who were Marussia's engine suppliers, is owed $25.4M, while McLaren is owed $10.9M for their technical services, wind tunnel and simulator partnership with the team.

Marussia has funds available from the 2014 season. If Manor is able to return by the Bahrain Grand Prix, then it will qualify for an estimated $52M in commercial rights income that it earned last year when Jules Bianchi finished ninth at the Monaco GP, providing FIA doesn't withhold these funds if Manor doesn't make it on the 2015 grid. That is a large part of why the other teams (Thanks Force India!) fought so hard against them. The talks were that Jules' money would be divided between the remaining teams due to a FIA regulation stating that