Manor Racing unleashes MRT05

Manor Racing's has unleashed its new-look MRT05 for its first public outing on the opening day of F1 pre-season testing at Circuit de Catalunya.

On a frantic opening morning Manor have become the latest team to reveal its 2016 challenger as Pascal Wehrlein rolled out of the garage for the first time just over an hour into the opening F1 test in Barcelona.

The MRT05 sports a striking blue, blood orange and black livery with its new Mercedes power and Williams transmission. The team also has an all-new driver line-up with DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein and GP2 race winner Rio Haryanto.

It marks a considerable switch in fortunes having been rescued from administration just over 12 months ago, when the team missed all of pre-season testing and failed to make the grid for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Manor's new racing director Dave Ryan feels with its new set-up the team must target a midfield battle after enduring a year frequently laps behind the rest of the pack

"Respectability and competitiveness, we are done with just turning up just to make everyone else look good," Ryan said. "Every single person in this team is looking forward to the first race in Melbourne in a few weeks' time.

"We know we have to improve in every area and in no way do we underestimate the opposition, but we have assembled a great group of people, we have a fantastic technical partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Williams Advanced Engineering and now it's up to us to deliver."

With an ambitious new aim Manor's new technical director John McQuilliam says the MRT05 is totally different to its predecessors and feels its partnerships with Mercedes (power units) and Williams (gearbox) provides the team with "the most developed, the most ambitious and the most aggressive" package it has ever secured.

"Some 3393 different parts in fact and that's just our in-house components," McQuilliam said. "We delayed the monocoque programme to wait for the new power unit, which was well worth waiting for of course.

"The Mercedes-Benz PU106C Hybrid Power Unit is a magnificent feat of engineering and we're proud and excited to be powered by championship-winning technology developed by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. We also have a very competitive transmission package thanks to our technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering, who supply our gearbox and other rear-end components.

"Together with the efforts of our accomplished aero and mechanical design teams, that's a pretty impressive package."