Bob Bell joins Manor as part of 'ambitious plan'

Manor Marussia has signalled its intentions for the future with the announcement it has made three technical and engineering appointments, most notably former Mercedes technical director and Renault team principal Bob Bell, as part of a 'long-term ambitious plan' to turn the team's fortunes around.

Bell, whose illustrious F1 history also includes stints at McLaren, Benetton and Jordan, has won two Constructors' world championships during his time as technical director of the Renault team.

His new role at Manor will see him act as a technical consultant, bringing experience in advising the senior management in 'rebuilding the team'.

Part of a bold plan to turn Manor from minnows into contenders, Manor has also brought on board Luca Furbatto as Head of Design having held a similar post at Toro Rosso, prior to which he worked with McLaren for a decade. In addition, Gianluca Pisanello will become Chief Engineer following time at the now defunct Caterham and Toyota F1 teams.

It is a trio of acquisitions that team principal John Booth believes will see Manor turn its fortunes around for 2016 and beyond.

"We're delighted to welcome Bob, Luca, and Gianluca to the team. It's been a dramatic but rewarding start to our 2015 season, and we're only now able to settle into more of a rhythm, allowing us to look to the future. Our focus this season is to re-build the foundations of the team and develop our internal capabilities.

"As ever in Formula One, we rely on the experience, tenacity and drive of our colleagues, so we're delighted to welcome our new teammates. Each of them brings a huge amount of experience from within the sport, adding further dimensions to our existing technical and engineering capability.

"Whilst we seek to optimise our performance during the remainder of the 2015 season, we can also turn our attention to the next exciting chapter in our story - 2016 and beyond."