Marussia: Friday no show disappointing

Having worked hard to make it to the first race of the season, Marussia said they were disappointed not to manage any running in either practice session in Melbourne on Friday, but insisted such teething issues were inevitable.

The lack of track time means Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi - who was only confirmed as the team's second driver three days before the opening day in Australia - have still not had any running in Marussia's interim race car.

"We have had to overcome numerous hurdles to get to the Australian Grand Prix, but the challenge did not end with our arrival here in Melbourne," team principal John Booth explained.

"This is effectively our first day of testing, and as we all know that is a less than straightforward experience for any team. The systems required to operate these cars are incredibly complex and this is the first time we have been able to begin the process of getting all the various elements of our operation and car package talking to each other.

"Only when that happens can you start to troubleshoot the various issues that every team encounters when you look to field a car for the first time. We are steadily working through that checklist and while it is disappointing that we haven't been able to get the cars out in today's free practice sessions, we are racers and will do our utmost to compete for all our fans and the people supporting us."

Stevens pledged patience as Marussia fight to get their cars ready, adding: "It's great to finally be here in Melbourne. With the challenges we've faced over the past few weeks, that in itself is a fantastic achievement. It was never going to be an easy task to get the cars out on track for the first time. We've had no pre-season testing, so we're having to experience those challenges here in the field in a race weekend context. The guys are doing a great job so all we can do as drivers is be patient and support the team."