How Marussia might be able to get on the grid for 2015

So news has hit today that the hopes of the Marussia F1 team (now Manor) have been dealt a huge blow by the veto from Force India to them using the 2014 car although it doesn't comply with 2015 regulations.

As there is reportedly over £30 million in prize money from last year at stake I can imagine how the teams backers are desperately thinking of ways to get a 2015 compliant car ready asap. I've also been thinking about how you might be able to short cut the process so they can have a car ready in time.

The apparent stumbling block is that the front bulkhead on the monocoque needs to be 50mm lower than in 2014, so you need a new monocoque design. Marussia apparently had a 2015 design complete and pictures are being circulated of a wind tunnel model. So most of the thought process for the nose and monocoque has been done, but, there isn't time to manufacture a new one.

In order to manufacture a new monocoque you first need to machine a pattern out of high density foam or aluminum from the CAD model. This is several days/weeks of machine time. After this you have to make carbon fibre moulds from the pattern, again many days work, and then you get to make an actual monocoque. So you are looking at a vast amount of time and money both of which they don't have.

However there are ways to short cut this process. They are going to have to retain as many parts as possible from the 2014 car, so I would want to choose a point along a 2014 monocoque and cut it off (figuratively) retain everything rearwards of this point, and blend the rear of the 2015 nose design they already have into this point on the 2014 monocoque. What this allows you to do is reuse most of the monocoque pattern from 2014, saving machine time, also you can cut the moulds back to this point, remould a return flange on them and then the majority of the moulds can be reused. You can then machine a small pattern which is the blend from the 2015 nose to 2014 tub, make moulds from this with return flanges that can bolt onto the main section, and away you go, you have a new set of moulds from which a 2015 tub can be made. Reducing cost and time by at least 50%.

Unfortunately for them the external shape of the monocoque is not the only problem to overcome, packaging the steering, pedals, brakes and front suspension into this new space with the minimum of new components will be an equally difficult challenge, but if they are true racers where there's a will there's a way.

It might not be a typical F1 solution, or result in a particularly attractive car, but that's the least of their worries at the moment. I'm sure we'd all like to see them on the grid however they manage it. They clearly have resolve to keep trying even after the apparent death, after all I'm typing this blog one of their PC's that was sold off at the disposal auction.

Darren George
ex-F1 Design Engineer