The Caterham F1 Team might be enjoying good news at the moment following an announcement that they will be back on the grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend, but for the majority of their workforce, it’s a different feeling altogether.
Almost the entire workforce, totalling around 220 people, were made redundant on Friday despite the administrator’s in charge, Smith & Williamson led by Finbarr O’Connell, confirming that the team will race in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
A small handful of staff have been kept on in order to ensure the team can operate at the Abu Dhabi race.
According to a letter from a former employee, sent to journalist Joe Saward, it was made clear that Fernandes owed staff seven weeks pay before passing control of 1MRT to the administrators this week.
“The employees have been made redundant from 1MRT,” it reads. “This should be more widely known and Mr Fernandes should be encouraged to do the honourable thing and fund the owed salaries instead of hiding behind 1MRT’s orchestrated lack of funds.
“The present situation is the inevitable (and foreseeable) consequence of the manner in which Mr Fernandes sold Caterham F1. It isn’t good enough to claim that there were no other buyers. In that event the proper thing to do would have been to wind up the company gracefully while ensuring that employees and suppliers were fairly dealt with.
“It is not right that Mr Fernandes should be allowed to profit from evading his responsibilities and suffer no adverse publicity.”
Further reports suggest former staff are preparing legal action against Mr Fernandes and other former owners as well as the administrators in charge of Caterham.
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