Manor says they are on track for 2015, Will Stevens named as driver

The Manor F1 team, formerly known as Marussia, released a statement to its Facebook page  stating that the car they will use for this year's championship is at an advanced stage and that they plan to be on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix. The team also confirmed that British driver Will Stevens will drive one of the cars this season. Stevens was a reserve driver for Marussia for part of last season and raced for Caterham at the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Manor says they are now in a position to provide updates on a regular basis now and that they will soon announce the rest of their drivers for the 2015 season.

I hope that Manor can make it on the grid this year because I think it is good for Formula 1 to have more cars. I think that 18 cars is too small of a grid. Hopefully, Manor can be more competitive than they have been in recent years and compete with other teams at the back of the grid but I don't really see this as a possibility, especially since they will not have completed any preseason testing.

As far as a second driver, I would like to see Alexander Rossi get a chance as he was connected to the team the second half of last year but I'm expecting the seat will likely go to the driver that can provide the most money.

Do you think Manor will make it to the grid at Melbourne? If so, how competitive do you think they will be? Also, who would you like to be in the other race seat? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.