Monza was always going to be one of the toughest races for the Manor team. Their outdated 2014 power unit was always going to be exposed here more than anywhere else and it quite clearly showed in qualifying and in the race. Despite all this, the team was able to get their best two-car starting position to date with both cars starting in the top 14 and the drivers were able to therefore get stuck into the mix for as long as they could.
2015 Italian Grand Prix Manor Review
No. 28 Will Stevens
Qualifying: P18 (Started P13)
Race: P15
For the first time since Barcelona, Stevens was able to edge out his team mate in both qualifying and in the race. Whilst doing much from the strong grid position with a seriously underpowered car was always going to be tricky, Stevens fought where he could. The gap at the end between the two was 13 seconds, and it was certainly the strongest performance across a weekend from the Briton for a long while.
No. 98 Roberto Merhi
Qualifying: P19 (Started P14)
Race: P16
Merhi missed out on his duties in the World Series by Renault this weekend as he tackled Monza in a F1 car for the second time, and his first in race trim. His strong form seemed to wane a bit here, but he ultimately kept his team mate honest across the weekend. He did get some air time as he nearly rammed Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari which was very slow entering the pits. Merhi however was able to avoid causing a collision. The Spaniard will be hoping for a stronger run at Singapore, a circuit neither driver has any experience on.
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