The Manor Marussia F1 Team are back for the start of the 2015 Formula 1 season. A huge effort over the past few weeks has enabled the team to build a car that is compliant with the current regulations, but given the complexities involved in returning to the racetrack, they were unable to run in either of today's Free Practice sessions.

Will Stevens: "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."

Roberto Merhi: "Of course I was looking forward to my first experience of our car today, but we knew that getting out on track would not be an easy process. These things take time and everyone in the team is working incredibly hard, so we hope for a better day tomorrow. I'm really enjoying being with the team and the support from the fans has been incredible. It's a special feeling being here for my first Grand Prix weekend, so I'm not too downhearted. We will get to where we need to be."

John Booth, Team Principal: "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. 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."

Check out our Friday gallery, here.