Virgin Racing facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Virgin

Full name	Virgin Racing (2010) Marussia Virgin Racing (2011)
Base	Dinnington, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Noted staff	John Booth Richard Branson Nikolai Fomenko Graeme Lowdon Pat Symonds Mark Hendy Alex Tai Etienne de Villiers Nick Wirth
Noted drivers	Jérôme d'Ambrosio Lucas di Grassi Timo Glock
Next name	Marussia F1 Team
Formula One World Championship career
First entry	2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
Races entered	38
Engines	Cosworth
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	0
Podiums	0
Points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
Final entry	2011 Brazilian Grand Prix

Virgin Racing was a Formula One racing team. It was managed by Manor Motorsport, Wirth Research, and Richard Branson's Virgin Group. The team raced in 2010 with a British license and in 2011 with a Russian license.

Virgin Racing did not score any points in its two years of competition. It finished last in the Constructors' Championship both years. The team was first called Manor Grand Prix. It became Virgin Racing when Virgin bought a part of the team in late 2009.

The team's first car, the Virgin VR-01, was special. It was the first Formula One car designed only using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This is a computer method to study how air moves around a car. Drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi raced this car.

After the 2010 season, Marussia Motors bought a share in the team. The team then became known as Marussia Virgin Racing. The partnership with Wirth Research ended in 2011. The team then started designing cars themselves for 2012. At the end of 2011, Marussia Virgin Racing changed its name to Marussia F1 Team.

Team History

How the Team Started

In February 2009, Richard Branson's Virgin company showed interest in Formula One. Virgin later sponsored the new Brawn GP team in 2009.

The team officially started as Manor Grand Prix. It was a partnership between Manor Motorsport and Wirth Research. Key people included John Booth as sporting director and Nick Wirth as technical director. They planned to build cars using only computer simulations (CFD).

When Mercedes-Benz bought Brawn GP, Branson invested in Manor Grand Prix. He bought 80% of the team. This led to the team being renamed Virgin Racing. John Booth became the team principal.

Virgin Racing worked as a three-part team. Manor Motorsport ran the cars. Wirth Research designed them. Virgin handled the business side. The team's main base was in Dinnington, South Yorkshire. Wirth Research designed the Virgin VR-01 from its base in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

In 2010, Virgin Racing had the lowest budget of all teams. Richard Branson believed they could do well with smart engineering and good drivers. The team also planned to create a driver academy. This would help young drivers move up to Formula One.

Racing in 2010

Getting Ready for the Season

On November 17, 2009, Virgin Racing announced Timo Glock as their main driver for 2010. He signed a two-year deal. His teammate was Lucas di Grassi from Brazil. Di Grassi reportedly brought £5 million in sponsorship to the team.

Technical director Nick Wirth decided to design the car's aerodynamics using only CFD. They did not use a windtunnel. This was a new approach in Formula One.

The Virgin VR-01 car was shown on February 3, 2010. It passed safety tests and had its first run at Silverstone. During early testing, the car had some problems. A front wing failed, and they had hydraulic issues. These problems meant less time on the track.

First Races and Challenges

Timo Glock testing the Virgin VR-01 in Jerez in February 2010.

At the first race in Bahrain, both Virgin cars had mechanical issues. Lucas di Grassi retired early due to hydraulics. Timo Glock also retired with gear problems. The team struggled to finish races.

A big problem was the VR-01's fuel tank. It was too small for the car to finish a race at full speed. The team had to get special permission to change the car's design. They brought a longer chassis to the Spanish Grand Prix. This allowed for a bigger fuel tank.

In Malaysia, Lucas di Grassi finished 14th. This was Virgin's first ever race finish. The team continued to face reliability issues throughout the season.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, di Grassi crashed before the race. Glock finished 14th. In South Korea, di Grassi crashed again. Glock was in 12th place, which would have helped the team in the championship. But another car crashed into him, forcing him to retire. This ended Virgin's chance to finish higher in the championship.

At the end of the 2010 season, Virgin Racing finished last in the Constructors' Championship. This was despite having a faster car than some rivals.

The Bet with Tony Fernandes

On December 16, 2009, Richard Branson made a bet with Tony Fernandes. Fernandes owned the Lotus F1 team. The bet was that the losing team's boss would work as a flight attendant on the winner's airline. Fernandes won the bet. Branson eventually honored the bet on May 13, 2013. He dressed as a flight attendant for AirAsia.

Marussia Joins the Team

On November 11, 2010, Marussia Motors bought a large part of the team. This helped secure the team's future until 2014. The team announced it would race with a Russian license in 2011. This made it the second Russian team in Formula One. The team also planned to improve its CFD facility.

Racing in 2011

The Marussia sponsored team logo used during the 2011 season.

The 2011 car was called the Virgin MVR-02. It also used only CFD for its design. The team focused on improving the car's hydraulics and gearbox. These parts had caused many problems in 2010. The MVR-02 was designed to have a full-size fuel tank from the start.

Jérôme d'Ambrosio joined the team as the second driver. He raced alongside Timo Glock for the 2011 season.

Season Performance

At the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, the MVR-02 struggled. Glock had a mechanical failure and was not classified. D'Ambrosio finished 14th after other cars were disqualified.

In Malaysia, d'Ambrosio retired due to electronic problems. Glock finished 16th. The team brought upgrades to the car for the Turkish Grand Prix. But Glock had a mechanical fault and could not race. D'Ambrosio finished 20th.

In June 2011, the team ended its partnership with Wirth Research. This was because the CFD-only design approach did not work as well as hoped. The team then partnered with McLaren Applied Technologies. This allowed them to use McLaren's technical facilities and wind tunnel for future car designs.

Throughout 2011, the team continued to struggle. They often qualified at the back of the grid. They also faced retirements due to mechanical issues. At the Italian Grand Prix, d'Ambrosio had a gearbox failure. Glock finished 15th, which was one of the team's best results.

At the first ever Indian Grand Prix, the cars were the slowest in qualifying. Glock retired early after a crash. D'Ambrosio finished 16th.

In November 2011, Virgin Racing officially changed its name to Marussia F1 Team. This change showed Marussia's new ownership. Virgin still stayed with the team as a sponsor.

Team Sponsors

Timo Glock's VR-01 on display in partner UST Global's Trivandrum office.

Virgin Group bought 20% of the team as part of a sponsorship deal. The team had many partners in 2010. These included tyre supplier Bridgestone, IT company UST Global, and Russian car maker Marussia Motors.

In December 2009, Lloyds Banking Group invested £10 million in the team. This was unusual as many financial companies were leaving sports sponsorship. In May 2010, Virgin Racing also announced a sponsorship deal with Full Tilt Poker.

Race Results

Here are the results for Virgin Racing in Formula One: (key) (results in bold mean pole position; races in italics mean fastest lap)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Points	WCC
2010	VR-01	Cosworth CA2010 2.4 V8	B		BHR	AUS	MAL	CHN	ESP	MON	TUR	CAN	EUR	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	SIN	JPN	KOR	BRA	ABU	0	12th
				Timo Glock	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNS	18	Ret	18	Ret	19	19	18	16	18	17	Ret	14	Ret	20	Ret
				Lucas di Grassi	Ret	Ret	14	Ret	19	Ret	19	19	17	Ret	Ret	18	17	20†	15	DNS	Ret	NC	18
2011	MVR-02	Cosworth CA2011 2.4 V8	P		AUS	MAL	CHN	TUR	ESP	MON	CAN	EUR	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	SIN	JPN	KOR	IND	ABU	BRA	0	12th
				Timo Glock	NC	16	21	DNS	19	Ret	15	21	16	17	17	18	15	Ret	20	18	Ret	19	Ret
				Jérôme d'Ambrosio	14	Ret	20	20	20	15	14	22	17	18	19	17	Ret	18	21	20	16	Ret	19
Sources:

Notes

• ^† – The driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was still counted because they completed over 90% of the race.

See also

In Spanish: Virgin Racing para niños