Manor passes FIA crash tests with updated 2014 Marussia

With former Marussia team chiefs Graeme Lowdon and John Booth having put in place the funding it needs to get back on the grid, the final hurdle to be overcome was getting the safety sign-off from the governing body.

That happened on Thursday when the upgraded 2014 chassis was given the all clear - so the renamed Manor team can now join the action in Melbourne next week.

A message from the team on Twitter said: "Our big news of today is that we have now passed the FIA crash tests. Well done team! That's it - we're all set for Melbourne!"

The car that the team will race with in Australia is a highly modified version of its 2014 contender, and will be used until its bespoke 2015 machine is ready later in the season.

Lowdon, who is sporting director, told AUTOSPORT: "It's the 2014 car with a very high degree of carry over, and then some really quite clever engineering solutions to make sure it is fully compliant with the rules.

"The nose is different and the chassis has to be modified, with added zylon safety panels.

"Some very clever engineers have used their time and solved their technical problems to deliver us a fully legal car but with a very high degree of carry over due to the time scale."

Manor has still to announce its second driver, with only Will Stevens confirmed so far.