Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi have done an “outstanding job” according to Manor team boss John Booth, who praised their attitude and skill.
The pair are both rookies, with Stevens having completed a single race before 2015 courtesy of Caterham’s short-lived return in Abu Dhabi.
Merhi meanwhile, who scored the teams best finish of the year last weekend with 12th, had little experience other than a single practice outing for Caterham at the Italian GP last season.
Both have however impressed Booth despite the difficult circumstances surrounding their debuts.
“We threw two rookies in with no pre-season testing and missing the first race altogether, and just to expect them to perform – which they have done – they’ve done an outstanding job,” he told the official Formula 1 website.
“We’re over the moon with both drivers. Up until now we’ve given them a car that’s not been easy to drive and the engine must be at least 1-1.5 seconds slower than the best engine on the grid. We haven’t made their lives easy.
“They started getting very competitive a few races ago, but they seem to have had conversations themselves about how they want to conduct themselves on track.
“They’re both very intelligent guys, and they know each other very well of course. I think they’re developing into a strong team now.”
