Virgin Racing

Virgin Racing is one of four teams that will be making their debut during the 2010 Formula One season. Sponsored by Richard Branson’s Virgin company, the Virgin Racing team is essentially a Formula One extension of the Manor Racing team best known for its participation in the Formula 3 Euroseries.

Headquarters: South Yorkshire, England
Engine: Cosworth CA2010
Chassis: Virgin VR-01
F1 Debut: 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
Drivers: Timo Glock, Lucas di Grassi

Virgin Racing is a collaborative effort between the Manor Racing team and Wirth Research. Nick Wirth, the owner of Wirth Research brings extensive racing experience to the mix as a previous designer for Benetton Racing and owner of Simtek Formula One.

The team will benefit from the marketing expertise of Richard Branson’s Virgin Company, which has secured the rights to the team by purchasing a 20% stake. The group intends to race cars in several different tiers of European motorsport in the future.

History

Manor Racing has competed in Formula Racing since 1990, when former racing champion, John Booth, formed the team. The team is most commonly associated with Formula Renault racing, and has blooded a number of well known F1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen.

In 2007 Booth’s stake in Manor was bought out by Tony Shaw, the Formula Renault UK team manager. Shaw soon declared his intention to compete in Formula One, while Booth was permitted to continue using the Manor brand to race in Formula Three.

In 2009 Shaw announced that Manor’s application to race in Formula One had been accepted and that the team would make its debut in 2010. Richard Branson, looking to become involved in the sport, subsequently purchased a 20% stake in the team, securing the naming and marketing right for Manor Formula One.

Virgin Racing in Formula One

Virgin Racing is expected to be one of the most competitive of the four new teams entering Formula One in 2010. Not only will the team benefit from the extensive experience of Nick Wirth, but it will also be able to draw on the racing experience of former GP2 champion, Timo Glock, who was hired after Toyota withdrew from the sport.

The team will use a custom chassis during its first season, and will run Cosworth engines in its cars, while Bridgestone will supply tyres. There is speculation that the team’s partnership with Russian sports car manufacturer, Marussia, may produce a custom engine in future seasons in Formula One.

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