Manor racing director Dave Ryan says the team is "way ahead of where we were" in 2015 despite a disjointed pre-season so far.
Manor encountered a few issues over the course of the last two weeks of testing in Barcelona as it put F1 rookies Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto through their paces. Speaking before more problems which kept Haryanto in the garage on Friday morning, Ryan said he is satisfied with where the team currently stands.
"It would be foolish to start making predictions before Melbourne, but I'm pretty happy with the progress we've made," Ryan said.
"We're certainly a much stronger team than we were last year. From a performance point of view, I think we are way ahead of where we were, which you would expect with partners we've got now and the fact that we've got a new car."
On the subject of partners, and Mercedes in particular, Ryan praised the German manufacturer for its involvement and diligence.
"Mercedes have been fantastic. They are very professional organisation, there's nothing we've asked for that they haven't been able to help us with. As a partner, I don't think there's anyone better for us in the paddock."
Ryan's recruitment was evidently a welcomed asset for the minnow outfit, but for such an experienced man who worked at the pinnacle of the sport as McLaren's sporting director during its glory days, Ryan appeared somewhat over qualified for the task.
A comparison between his former employer and the current one, while unfair, is inevitable.
"It's completely different, but in a nice way," Ryan acknowledged. "There's no one in the garage whose got an ego, everyone in there has got a job to do. They will know that if that don't do the role they are supposed to do, then someone will have to cover for them.
"So it's a great situation really, it's good. It's really nice."
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