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What's really going on at Caterham F1?


garcon magnifique
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Nah, that link just came up in a discussion elsewhere. My source * is closer to Leafield than that. :secret:

I'm happy that my fears have been proved wrong in two races so far. Believe me when I say there has been some remarkable work in the background to make that happen.

I hope they manage to complete the season. What happens then is just about anyone's guess. May depend whether all the cards are in Kolle's hand.

* ok, my source's source. Apparently. I wouldn't divulge further even if I knew... :P

Edited by garcon magnifique
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* ok, my source's source. Apparently. I wouldn't divulge further even if I knew... :P

 

Is it Doris the OAP cleaning lady, the one with a moustache which tickles your tummy every time you pump her for intel...?   (Try and get that picture out of your head) 

Edited by Andy_Bangle
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  • 2 weeks later...
Caterham Sports Ltd has  gone into administration. Explaining the mess at Caterham

 


 

Basically there is a company that owns the F1 entry, another company ran the team on behalf of the entrant, that company has been placed into administration. Meantime a new company has been set up to run the team.

 

Fernandes had set thing up like this, the new owners are basically trying to pull the team out of the mess. It should be noted that the company that has been placed into administration is no surprise - this was put into motion a week or two ago.

 

Basically they've rescued anything of value and moved it to 1MRT and let Caterham Sports go bankrupt - this company had debts. So, by letting it go bankrupt it writes off some of the debts but the team, equipment and people are safe (for now). The struggle now will be getting suppliers to trust them enough so that they can still buy stuff that they need. It also appears that they are looking for a new base, this is probably also financially related in some way.

 

:blink:

Edited by Andy_Bangle
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The new base will, allegedly, be in Germany.

 

Time will tell whether, come next season, the name over the door is Caterham.

 

Edit: At least that's one version of events.

 

Here's a good link to Joe Saward's blog by the way: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/explaining-the-mess-at-caterham/

 

 

Joe seems to be impying that the new owners are the knights in shining armour trying to solve the mess left (intentionally or otherwise) by Fernandes.

 

If I thought he would (or could) answer, I'd like to ask him who he honestly believes is the bigger crook: Fernandes or Kolles.

Edited by garcon magnifique
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Oh, interesting comment from Joe when asked about The Judge 13 (the blogger I linked to at the start of this thread)....

 

"He doesn't know his arse from his elbow."

 

:roflmao:

 

To be fair I'm more inclined to believe Joe than some anonymous rumour mill blogger. Although he's not entirely looking at this from the outside.

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Basically they've rescued anything of value and moved it to 1MRT and let Caterham Sports go bankrupt - this company had debts. So, by letting it go bankrupt it writes off some of the debts but the team, equipment and people are safe (for now).

 

 

And feck the suppliers that our now not gonna get paid?

 

It must be gutting when you've lost thousands to see the same people playing in an expensive sport.

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After several false starts it looks like  tip-offs maybe coming true as in a strongly worded statement from Caterham F1's chiefs tonight - saying administrators actions have had 'devastating effect' on F1 operation.

 

CaterhamF1Teamstatement22October.png

 

 

(Reuters) - The future of the struggling Caterham Formula One team was thrown into further doubt on Tuesday when an administrator laid claim to their race cars and warned they could not leave the factory without his agreement.

Team sources disputed that, however, and said they should not be affected by legal action involving a separate company to the one that holds the official entry rights to the championship and owns the cars.

Finbarr O'Connell, appointed on Friday as a joint administrator of Caterham Sports Limited (CSL) for London-based Smith & Williamson, told Reuters he hoped the situation could be resolved in the next few days.

The cars are due to leave the factory in central England at the weekend to be flown to Austin, Texas, for next week's U.S. Grand Prix.

 

 

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/21/us-motor-racing-caterham-idUSKCN0IA2F420141021

Edited by Andy_Bangle
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Bernie Ecclestone says he would welcome the collapse of Caterham, believing it would be better for the sport. He compared their situation to street beggars, which he believes to be bad for F1's image.

 

I think it's better they go, I don't want people going around with begging bowls.

 

I don't know who owns them, I don't know and I don't care. Let me tell you something, they will tell you whatever suits them to tell you.

 

 

Bernie is keen to see a handful of teams collapse in order to force the eight most competitive teams to field three cars each instead of two, so his comments are understandable.

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Another breaking story from the BBC Caterham Sports Limited staff locked out of Oxfordshire site

 

 

Staff working for the Caterham F1 team have been locked out of the firm's Oxfordshire site, the administrator has confirmed to the BBC.
 
Finbarr O'Connell, from Smith & Williamson, said Caterham F1 operator 1MRT had made an "inadequate" offer to continue using the Leafield site.
 
Smith & Williamson owns the building, where the F1 cars were made.
 
Mr O'Connell said he was trying to resolve the situation with 1MRT, but until then has locked staff out.
 
Employees from Caterham Sports Limited were transferred to 1MRT when the company was placed into administration.

 

 

 

 

Another blog piece from Joe Saward: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/knock-on-effects/

Edited by Andy_Bangle
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My source's inside source is, er, no longer inside. Got as far as the car park. :uhoh:

I really wouldn't want to trust Kolles long term but he does at least seem to have been trying all sorts of tricks to keep things going and keep staff employed. I'm not sure they know who they work for anymore never mind anyone else.

Not sure if all this hassle would have been saved if Fernandez played ball of if they'd just find themselves in a slightly different shade of sh!t.

Off topic here, but it makes you wonder what will happen to QPR.

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Of all the internet blogs been linked to I think this one is the most accurate:

 

http://sniffpetrol.com/2014/10/24/caterham-dispute-escalates/#.VEqVLSLF_h6

 

 

So, the administrators have effective control of the whole shooting match, CSL, 1MRT and so on, and have put it up for sale as a going (ish) concern.

 

Bernie has given them dispensation to miss US and Brazil but hopes new owners will be in place by Abu Dhabi.

 

So the next question, for the next Grand Prix at least, is what sort of shape are Marussia in? Could they be about to threaten Bernie's commitment to field 20 cars?

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