Marussia would still be entitled to collect the prize money it earned from finishing inside the top ten, according to Bernie Ecclestone, as long as it competes in 2015.
The now-collapsed team secured ninth in the standings thanks to Jules Bianchi’s ninth-place finish in Monaco, earning the team two points – enough to put it ahead of Sauber and Caterham.
Such a position brings with it huge financial reward. Marussia is entitled to claim £43 million ($67m) for securing ninth which is far more than the £6.5m ($10m) for finishing last.
However with the team entering administration and closing completely, it was thought it had forgone the right to the prize money, but Ecclestone has revealed that if a buyer is found with the funding to race in 2015, it would still be entitled to the money.
That’s a blow for Sauber which believed it would fall to them.
Surely it would be impossible for Marussia to return with their assets currently being auctioned off. Not so. All a potential buyer would need to do is purchase the race licence and quickly build up a team by buying some of the assets, such as its 2014 car and modifying it to conform with the 2015 regulations.
A more unlikely scenario, but also possible, would be to buy Caterham’s assets, which are also for sale, and Marussia’s licence. Whilst the team would be massively uncompetitive, it would at least know that it is guaranteed a £43m payout at the end of the year, allowing it to focus entirely on 2016.
Regardless of Ecclestone’s confession, it seems unlikely that either Caterham or Marussia will be returning to the grid, despite assurances from the former’s administrator that they’re “in talks” with potential buyers.
