Marussia saga has become a timebomb
As Marussia's efforts to get back on the grid for 2015 become a flashpoint in the F1 cost wrangles, DIETER RENCKEN unravels the story so far and assesses the team's chances of returning
With all the claims, counter-claims, accusations, denials and statements floating about, Formula 1's 2015 entry procedure has - two months after the closing date and with exactly four weeks to go before the start of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix - descended into absolute farce, with none being any the wiser whether the grid will comprise 18, 20 or 22 cars as Marussia (Manor) continues to press its case.
Essentially the matter is simple: on the one hand there is an entity ('team' would be a misnomer, for it consists of a handful of personnel working on fundamentally 2014 cars in barebones, by F1 standards, facilities and with minimal equipment) fighting for its very survival; on the other it is up against F1's convoluted governance process.
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