- Marussia
Chilton insists Marussia relationship not damaged
Max Chilton does not think the events in the build-up to this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix will have a lasting effect on his relationship with Marussia, and insists the situation is more complicated than people think.
The team announced that Chilton had been replaced by Alexander Rossi for the race weekend on Thursday before back tracking on Friday and reinstating Chilton with the drive. The team said contractual issues were initially behind the decision to opt for Rossi, but Chilton said the reasons behind the debacle were not as straight forward as people seem to think.
"It's been a busy 24 hours, lots of things have changed and there have been lots of rumours that are not true. They are the first things people think of but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes and I'm always here to do the most I can for the team. That's why what happened yesterday was created and overnight that change was changed and I was put in the car this morning.
"Lots has gone on, I can't express what has gone on, but it's not what everyone seems to think has gone on."
Asked if it was about money, Chilton said: "That's a very easy way to come up with an idea. But what I did yesterday and the reason I was out of a drive yesterday was, I like to believe, due to a decision between both of us, and that got changed overnight. I'm not going to start getting into the details."
However, Chilton said there is no bad feeling between him and the team and that he does not expect a similar issue to arise again this season. He is also confident it will not impact on his negotiations about staying at the team longer term.
"No, it's not had any effect. We're trying to build the team as much as we can, and next year if everything comes together then it should be a fantastic year."
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