Manor leaving 107% headache behind says Merhi

Manor looks set to put its 107% qualifying time headache in the past, starting with the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

That is the claim of Roberto Merhi, who said the struggling former Marussia team is now taking "giant steps" after a stuttering and controversial start to its season.

"I am very satisfied with the work we have done," the rookie Spaniard is quoted by El Mundo Deportivo.

"In the second session, with the soft tyre we set a time that makes us optimistic about the rest of the weekend as we were very clearly within the 107 per cent limit and very close to our goal of being at 105pc," added Merhi in Shanghai after Friday practice.

He hinted, however, that Manor - currently running a modified version of the 2014 Marussia - will eventually have to work towards introducing a 2015 car.

"We have room to keep improving and approaching the rest of the grid," said Merhi, "although it is clear that there is currently a definite ceiling in terms of our grid position."