Marussia GP3 team pulls out of Russian round
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Marussia’ GP3 team will not participate in this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix-supporting round due to “commercial reasons”. Here’s the statement, emphasis added:
Marussia Manor Racing GP3, which competes in the GP3 Series and is part of the Marussia F1 Team Young Driver Programme, will not participate in this weekend’s round of the championship in Sochi, Russia. Regrettably, the team has been forced to withdraw from the event for commercial reasons.
The Team would like to praise the hard work and dedication of the Manor Motorsport staff, who run the racing operations of the Marussia Manor Racing GP3 team, as well as the efforts of Dean Stoneman, Patrick Kujala and Ryan Cullen, three very talented young drivers who have been a credit to the team during its 2014 campaign. That Marussia Manor Racing GP3 currently lies in fifth place in the GP3 Series standings, and only recently celebrated its third win of the season, in Monza on 7 September, makes this withdrawal all the more difficult for the team.
Marussia Manor Racing GP3 would also like to thank the organisers of the GP3 Series, and the wider GP3 community, for their continued support.
A decision regarding the team’s ability to participate in the final round of the GP3 Series in Abu Dhabi next month will be taken in due course.
Marussia Manor Racing GP3 would like to make clear that its non-participation in the Sochi event is for purely commercial reasons and these have not been influenced in any way by events at last weekend’s Formula One race in Suzuka. The team’s GP3 freight deadline was last Thursday, 2 October.
As part of the Marussia racing family, the GP3 team does however share the concern of the Marussia F1 Team and the whole international motor sport community for Jules Bianchi, following his serious accident in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
To my knowledge Stoneman doesn’t bring any significant funding, so it sounds like Cullen Sr or Kujala’s sponsors have withdrawn their financial support…
Italia Racing thinks it is Cullen, whose time in GP3 was literally pointless. If only his backing had given his driver coach Scott Malvern, multiple entry level champion, the chance to race in GP3… his driver blog at Driver DB makes it clear how talent is not much without any money at all.
They also state that Stoneman will be in at Koiranen (please be for Jorda), while Kujala will be in at Trident. In terms of driver quality, losing Cullen and Jorda, keeping Stoneman, Kujala and Ghiotto, running 24 cars, would be a big plus to the series. Replace Balthasar with Malvern, and it would be perfect.
I wonder what Stoneman will be doing next year, would love to see him in the WEC or something. I know he had a few years out but I’ve always had the impression he’s a mature racer.
Koiranen have indeed thrown him a bone, he’ll be replacing Carmen Jorda: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116230
Not affected by the events at Japan?
not being unfair to the team but that really is a load of rubbish.@jojobudgie “The team’s GP3 freight deadline was last Thursday, 2 October.”
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