Marussia owes more than 20 million euros to Ferrari

The debt contracted by Marussia with Ferrari, revealed by the team’s administrators, is not exclusively linked to the engine supply planned from the 2014 season. Indeed, it also includes the presence of Jules Bianchi, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, as a team driver.

Thus, we can realize that the other driver of the team, Max Chilton, holds a claim of nearly four million euros against Marussia since the team was not able to have the British driver race the entire season, as was stipulated in the contract that linked the team to Capsicum Grand Prix, which manages the interests of the British driver.

But the team has debts that date back even further, as 763,000 euros are still owed to Timo Glock, following the forced departure of the German driver before the start of the 2013 season.

The other suppliers of the team are not spared from the bankruptcy. Thus, McLaren will have to incur a loss of nearly 9 million as part of the technical collaboration signed between the two teams since the 2011 season, which allowed Marussia staff to use McLaren’s wind tunnel, simulator, and fitness programs.

In total, the bill amounts to nearly 80 million euros. However, John Booth and Graeme Lowdon still have a bargaining chip in their negotiations with potential buyers: if the team is able to make its arrival on the grid by the fourth race of the season in Bahrain, it will be eligible to receive the 35 million dollars awarded for the ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship, thanks to Jules Bianchi’s ninth place finish in Monaco.

But the leaders know that time is against them, as John Booth explains to the Yorkshire Post: “We still have a small hope but it is starting to get very late. We only have two weeks left to finalize something. Therefore, there is always a chance since we are in discussions with investors and the discussions are positive.”

However, he knows there is still a long way to go: « We realize that there are a lot of people making noise, but the big problem is getting them to take the plunge. There are a tremendous number of very hardworking people on the team, and we are trying to retain as many employees as possible. The irony is that we won’t be able to reach the $35 million if the dream dies. But that’s the attractive element for investors. We managed to live for almost five years without that money. »

It seems that as long as there’s life, there’s hope, but in this case, the bar seems to be set quite high…

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr