Caterham absent from the Austrian GP?
The financial situation of Caterham continues to worry observers. The latest rumor, reported by the German media Speed Week, is that Caterham might permanently cease its involvement in Formula 1 as soon as the next Grand Prix in Austria. The team has responded on social media.
The Malaysian team Caterham is making headlines at the moment, but more for its financial problems than for its results on the track. The impressive 11th place achieved by Marcus Ericsson in Monaco was completely overshadowed by the first points scored by Marussia, the main rival of Tony Fernandes’ team in the world championship.
Almost certain to finish the year at the bottom of the standings, Caterham finds its situation weakened. Tony Fernandes had emphasized at the beginning of the year that his team needed to achieve good results to ensure its presence in the sport for the years to come. The Malaysian businessman recently denied rumors of selling his team, while nevertheless stating that he was still looking for investors: “Caterham is not for sale. We love what we are building and we are always looking for new investments.”
Moreover, the joint project between Caterham and Renault to create a sports car with Alpine has been abandoned, further fueling rumors of the team’s sale by Tony Fernandes, even though the two projects are not directly linked.
Discussions are said to have taken place on the sidelines of the Canadian Grand Prix regarding a potential takeover by Colin Kolles’ Forza Rossa project, which is strongly anticipated by the FIA to enter the World Championship starting in 2015.
The German media outlet *Speed Week* goes even further by stating that the Caterham team might not field its two cars for the next Grand Prix in Austria, and that the team could indeed shut down before the end of the season. Financial problems are, of course, highlighted as the main cause of this potential premature withdrawal, which would also affect the team involved in the world motorcycle championship under the name *AirAsia Caterham*.
However, on the morning of Friday, June 13, the Malaysian team reacted to this rumor on its official Twitter account, seemingly first with irony: « We may not be racing this weekend, but our demo team is on its way to Russia with Robin Frijns for Kazan City Racing », before indicating, in a second tweet, that they are preparing for the Austrian Grand Prix, accompanied by a photo of Marcus Ericsson in his new seat in the CT05, to ensure the driver’s head does not touch the ground in the event of a rollover.
We may not be racing this weekend but our demo team are on the way to Russia with @RFrijns for Kazan City Racing – https://t.co/4iTwad8cMd
— Caterham F1 Team (@CaterhamF1) 13 Juin /f1/actualite/17750-fernandes-caterham-nest-pas-a-vendre.html
As preparation for #AustrianGP continue @Ericsson_Marcus dropped by the factory. Who can explain what’s going on here pic.twitter.com/M6jiRgJns0
— Caterham F1 Team (@CaterhamF1) 13 Juin /f1/actualite/17750-fernandes-caterham-nest-pas-a-vendre.html
Update at 12:30 PM: In a tweet on his official account, Tony Fernandes indicated that his team would indeed be in Austria.
Translate:
Caterham F1 will be racing in Austria. There is no question.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) 13 Juin /f1/actualite/17750-fernandes-caterham-nest-pas-a-vendre.html
