Caterham staff made redundant following crowdfunding success
Some troubling (and confusing) news concerning Caterham.












On the very day Caterham announced it will return to the grid in Abu Dhabi, the F1 team's entire staff was made redundant.
After a controversial crowdfunding scheme raised $3 million for the embattled backmarker, administrator Finbarr O'Connell announced that Caterham is heading to Abu Dhabi for the 2014 finale.
It is dismaying to see the amount of publicity surrounding the success of the crowdfunding on the same day that the entire workforce was made redundant while owed seven weeks' salary.
Jim McManus
A statement said it was made possible "through Crowdcube, the world's leading investment crowdfunding platform".
Crucially, Crowdcube's service accountancy and tax adviser is Smith and Williamson -- the company Caterham administrator and interim team boss O'Connell works for.
230 employees made redunant
So with O'Connell now faced with claims the crowdfunding project was at least in part a PR exercise, it now emerges that on the very same day it was declared a success, Caterham's 230 race team was made redundant.
Senior aerodynamicist Jim McManus told The Observer newspaper: "It is dismaying to see the amount of publicity surrounding the success of the crowdfunding on the same day that the entire workforce was made redundant while owed seven weeks' salary."
"The cynic in me would suggest that the two are not unrelated, and the good news has served as a convenient opportunity to bury the bad news," he added.
O'Connell, however, who is team boss for now but says his intention is to appoint an alternative, claims that staff actually wanted to be made redundant.
"It is a crazy situation but the most ironic thing is that the majority of the team were pressing me to make them redundant so their redundancy claim forms could be up and running while I try to sell the team," he said.
"If I sell the team they will be re-employed by the purchaser and those claim forms will effectively be ripped up."
A planned announcement?
As for the timing of the Abu Dhabi announcement and the redundancy letters being received by staff, O'Connell added: "I could not issue redundancy letters until Friday because it was only then that I was appointed administrator to 1MRT".
But McManus insists that some staff "actively indicated that they did not want to be made redundant".

Previous article
Honda era begins, McLaren denies Sainz rumour
Next article
Vettel expects 'no problems' with teammate Raikkonen

Caterham staff made redundant following crowdfunding success
Trending
The updates Williams hopes will lead to a point-scoring return
After producing a car which demonstrated progress but lacked the points to prove it last year, Williams starts its new era of team ownership with the FW43B, its bid to continue the climb up the Formula 1 grid in 2021
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Ferrari is starting its post-Sebastian Vettel age by welcoming Carlos Sainz in alongside Charles Leclerc. But while Sainz has a tough challenge to match his new teammate, Ferrari is also sending a message that previous intra-team spats must end