Manor Racing owner Stephen 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 strongest-ever season in the sport last season courtesy of its youthful driver line-up comprising Pasc🅷al Wehrlein, Rio Haryanto and Esteban Ocon, an🎀d its competitive Mercedes power units.

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

NEWS: Manor on the brink of collapse a𓆉fter slipping into administration

However, when Felipe Na♕sr 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 tenth, it co🌃st 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 𝓰investors, the loss of tenth overall has seemingly dealt a fata🧸l 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 [fini𝓡shing 10th] and ultimately brought into doubt the team's ability to race in 2017. We made a huge amount of 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 Racing 🌟- but while the search for a new buyer goes on, it admits 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 drivers in the frame for one of Manor's yet-to-be-filled seats.

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