Engine Blood Team Profile: Marussia-Cosworth

ESTABLISHED: 2010 (as Virgin Racing)

HISTORY: Three consecutive seasons of incompetence, partially obscured by the often Andrea Moda-esque efforts of fellow minnows HRT.  Highlights include making a car without an adequate fuel tank to actually finish a Grand Prix in their debut season and their recent dropping of Timo Glock, only to ask him back when their new pay driver's finanaces fell through.  Glock, whom we at Engine Blood have long admired, turned them down, and rightly so.

DRIVERS:
22. Jules BIANCHI (FRA)
23. Max CHILTON (GB)

Luis Razia was meant to be in car 22, but he is the aforementioned pay driver who failed to pay.  Luckily Monsieur Bianchi was available, though he must be apoplectic at having lost out on a Force India seat to a convicted criminal.  He's a well-regarded talent from Ferrari's Driver Academy, so if Marussia can survive another year they're virtually guaranteed Ferrari engines in 2014.

Max Chilton is the brother of Tom Chilton, a BTCC driver who has recently graduated to the World Touring Car Championship.  I mention this as Max himself hasn't done too much to distinguish himself, though last year he finished 4th in the GP2 series for the Carlin Motorsport team, who now have a partnership with Marussia, which we are assured is competely unrelated to his appearence in their F1.  What a coincidence, though; you couldn't make it up!  He's also British so the BBC have treated his promotion as the Second Coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.  No pressure, Max!

2012 PERFORMANCE: 11th place, 0 points.

Timo GLOCK (GER): 20th, 0 points.  Best finish: 12th, Singapore
Charles PIC (FRA): 21st, 0 points.  Best finish: 12th, Brazil

Timo Glock (who else?) gave Marussia their greatest ever finish last year!  Sadly, it was a twelfth place - but bizarrely, due to poor luck and reliability from Caterham, this was enough to give them the financially-significant 10th place in the constructors championship.

However, about 20 laps from the end of the season, The Unfortunate Vitaly Petrov screamed past Charles Pic to claim an 11th place for Caterham and sicken the black and red squad.  Pic, incidentally, is driving for Caterham this season and had been announced before that race; any thoughts of a conspiracy can be countered by the assertion that Marussia's car was utterly useless.

2013 PROSPECTS: Excruciatingly grim.  With Cosworth desperately trying to edge out of the door, next year can't come quick enough for this team - IF they survive...