Williams has confirmed that it has furloughed “some” of its staff, following in the footsteps of the McLaren Formula 1 team.
As with McLaren, Williams’ senior management and its drivers, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, have also agreed to take a pay cut in an effort to reduce costs for the team.
“Due to the ongoing situation involving Covid-19, ROKiT Williams Racing is temporarily furloughing a number of employees as part of a wider range of cost-cutting measures,” the team confirmed in a brief statement.
“The furlough period will last until the end of May whilst senior management, and our drivers, have taken a pay cut of 20% effective from 1st April.
“These decisions have not been taken lightly, however our aim is to protect the jobs of our staff at Grove and ensuring they can return to full-time work when the situation allows.”
The British government has put a scheme in place which allows companies to furlough staff – effectively placing them on unpaid leave – for a period of up to three months. The government will then step in to pay 80 per cent of their wages up to £2,500 a month ($3,030), with employers urged to pay the remaining 20 per cent, though they are not mandated to.
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