The majority of Caterham employees have been laid off

Would the administrators of Caterham have hurried to announce the team’s return for the season finale in order to mask some sad news for the vast majority of its employees?

Indeed, a former employee of the team made sure to send a letter to respected journalist Joe Saward to reveal the fate of the team’s employees: « The employees were dismissed by 1MRT (a company still owned by Mr. Fernandes). This should be more widely known, and Mr. Fernandes should be encouraged to do the honorable thing and pay the wages owed instead of hiding behind the lack of organized funds from 1MRT. The current situation is the inevitable (and foreseeable) consequence of the way Mr. Fernandes sold Caterham F1. It’s not enough to say there were no other buyers. In this case, the appropriate action would have been to close the company gracefully, ensuring that employees and suppliers were treated fairly. Undoubtedly, this would have been the most expensive solution for Mr. Fernandes. »

The author of this letter also cannot help but relate this dismissal to the return to racing, as well as to the dismissal procedure initiated at Marussia: « The cynic in me suggests that the two are not unrelated and that the good news served as a great opportunity to overshadow the bad news. If that’s the case, it seems to have worked since there hasn’t been a trace of it anywhere (unlike Marussia the previous week, which “only” owed a week’s salary). »

It seems that the only employees retained are those essential on the circuit to operate the two cars, who are employed by Caterham F1, which is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. However, it remains to be seen who will be the drivers behind the wheel. We have learned that a proposal was made to André Lotterer for the Le Mans 24 Hours winner to have the opportunity to do more than two laps in the race, as was the case at Spa.

It seems that the new team leaders are examining all potential sources of revenue, no matter how unlikely. We have learned that Lebanese driver Khalil Beschir, who has since become a commentator for the Qatari channel BeIn Sports, was also contacted to take part in the first practice session in Abu Dhabi: « I received a call offering me the seat for FP1 with Caterham. Obviously, the main question is “how much money do you have for this”. Zero, I’m a grown-up now. »

Got a call offering me a drive in FP1 with Caterham. Of course, the main question is how much money you have for it. Zero, I am grown up now #F1

— Khalil Beschir (@khalilracing) 13 November /f1/news/19065-andre-lotterer-returns-to-caterham-f1-in-abu-dhabi-.html

Unfortunately, there is a strong likelihood that this whole story will end in a legal battle lasting several months, leaving hundreds of employees by the wayside. Without employees, it seems impossible to construct a new single-seater for 2015, which could imply that the Abu Dhabi race will certainly be the last for the Leafield team.

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr