Run by former single-seater champion John Booth, Manor motorsport began to compete in 1990. During this time they have clocked up an impressive 171 race wins and 19 championship titles in major championships from the Formula Three Euroseries to Formula Renault, fielding names such as Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton.

Manor has two bases in the UK, one near Sheffield and another in Bicester. The team are known for pushing the bounds of technical innovation; all the cars are tested and designed digitally using a process developed by Wirth Research Limited (WRL). WRL was founded by Nick Wirth and specialises in research and development, and holds the position of technical director for the new grand prix team.

After Richard Branson enjoyed success with the underdogs at Brawn in 2009 he looked for his next project and Manor Grand Prix was it. The team was branded Virgin Racing for its debut season, but with no funds coming from Branson it added the name of major shareholder Marussia Cars to its 2011 title. The Wirth partnership failed to deliver results and early in to its second season the team terminated the deal. For 2012 the team was completely rebranded again, with owners Marussia ready to forge its own identity.