Manor Racing owner Step๊hen Fitzpatrick has admitted the🐎 team's failure to repel Sauber in the fight for tenth in the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship constructors' standings has potentially cost it a future in the sport.

Six years after making its F1 debut under the Virgin Racing label, Manor enjoyed its stron൲gest-ever season in the sport last season courtesy of its youthful driver line-up comprising Pascal Wehrlein, Rio Haryanto and Esteban Ocon, and its competitive Mercedes power units.

Culminating in a hard fought 10th place finish for Wehrlein in the Austrian Grand Prix - marking only the secon🧜d time in its history that Manor had scored points - the minnow outfit was seemingly on course for a significant prize money reward provided it could retain its 10th place in the constructors' ahead of Sauber.

NEWS: Manor on the brink of collapse after slipping int♏o administration

However, when Felipe Nasr claimed a ninth place result in the weather-affected Brazilian Grand Prix☂ - the penultimate round of the season - to promote Sauber ahead of Manor to ten𓂃th, it cost the British outfit approximately ?10 million in revenue.

Coming at a time when Fitzpatrick - who purchased the team ahead of the 2015 season - had been discussing terms with potential investors, the loss of tenth overall has seemingly ꦇdealt a fatal blow to talks.

"For much of the season we were on track," Fitzpatrick told the BBC. "But the ﷽dramatic race in Brazil ended our hopes of [finishing 10th] and ultimately brought into doubt the team's ability to race in 2017. We made a huge amount o༺f progress on and off track but ultimately it was not enough."

Administrators have been called in to handle the affairs of Just Racing Services Ltd - owners of Manor Rౠacing - but while the search for a new buyer goes on, it ad꧙mits there is a limited window in which to save the team.

Somewhat ironically, having delivered the result that dealt the blow to the team,, Nasr was one of the d🎉rivers in the frame for one of Manor's yet-to-be-filled seats.

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