Williams technical director Pat Symonds, who is a firm believer in small independent outfits, has praised the return of Manor to the Formula 1 grid.
The former Marussia team looks set to return at the very first race of the season in Melbourne next week, despite it missing the final three races of the 2014 season.
Williams have been supportive of their efforts and Symonds, who has a history with small independents including Marussia, is particularly happy to see them back.
“I’m really pleased to see that they’re going to make it to Melbourne. I think we need teams like that,” he is quoted by Autosport.
“In 1981 I started in a little team called Toleman; there were 20 of us and we didn’t know much about what we were doing, but that team went on to become Benetton, which went on to become Renault, who went on to become Lotus.
“If there wasn’t a chance for small teams to compete I think it would be a real shame. I worked with those guys for a while and I have a lot of respect for what they were trying to do,” he added.
“It’s really, really difficult to compete in F1, and that just makes it better if they do succeed.
“They’re straightforward, old-fashioned racers. They want to go racing; they’re not interested in politics.”
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