Marussia are hoping to make a big enough step forward this year that they’ll be a regular feature in the second qualifying phase – something they only achieved twice in 2013.
Team principal John Booth says that has to be their aim after a steady climb up the ranks which saw them finish ahead of Caterham in the championship last year, something Booth hopes to build on with the addition of a Ferrari power unit.
“We would love to get into Q2 on a regular basis on performance,” he said. “That has to be the target, but it’s not easy.
“There are some very bright people out there in F1 and some big budgets, so we know it’s a difficult task but that’s our target.
“We are the smallest team but we have pushed for performance as much as we can. It’s time for us to take a step forward.
“We took a big step forward percentage wise to the front last year and now it’s time to start making up places as well.”
He’s not only counting on performance, but reliability too. That could play a massive role in race outcomes in the opening half of the season thanks to the new engine regulations which are incredibly complex compared to previous seasons.
“Last year was a perfect example of how important it was to be reliable and to hit the ground running.
“But in 2013 we were the most reliable team and car in F1 so we are trying to achieve the same.”
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