Where to for Caterham?

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Please make it so Captain. (Same/Similar post on other threads)

It's a public warning...

[Paradise City]

He could be running two teams at this rate. Isn't that Romanian outfit still in the offing?

It's dodgy. He makes a sleight of hand remark about investors being "invisible" and conflates that with "non-interference". Not the same Col you slippery silver tongued divil.

[ger80]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

GE is gone from the sidepods and replaced with Intel and Dell, who supported BMW when it was with Sauber....

GE and Airbus appeared on the car after Air Asia bought Airbus planes with GE engines.

[GTRMagic]

Silanna is the brand now on the engine covers. From the pics on Autosport & elsewhere, it seems the team changed them after practice & before qualifying.

Its actually an Australian-based company.

Is Mr Stoddart back?

[GTRMagic]

Downsizing a go go at Caterham

[bella]

i'd love to know what qualifies christijan albers to run a business, and when kolles last created a winning team.

[andrewc]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Still seems funny that the Caterham car business will still stay open while their F1 team will not have any relationship with them other than name.

Like Lotus then...

[ptclaus98]

Well that was quick but not unexpected.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by bella

i'd love to know what qualifies christijan albers to run a business...

yeah thats a weird one (remind me never to invest money with these guys). on one hand, he has experience (limited as it may be) as an F1 driver but on the other what if any credentials does he have overseeing the day to day of a multi million dollar operation.

Gerhard Berger comes to mind as a recent former driver/team principle but he was both a vastly more accomplished driver and iirc owned and operated a massive transport company before signing on with STR.

without knowing the guy its harsh to say but one can only surmise that Albers' installation as team principle is somehow connected with getting certain investors on board in the first place.

[321Go]

Full details of the staff changes HERE.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by bella

i'd love to know what qualifies christijan albers to run a business, and when kolles last created a winning team.

The best qualification possible:

"Liselore is the daughter of Spyker financier Roel Kooijman. 27-year-old Albers signed a contract in late September to stay at the Silverstone based squad in 2007"

Liselore is also the wife of one Christijan Albers.


From: http://www.auto123.com/en/racing-new...an?artid=72362

[wolfhound]

More trouble heading in Caterham GP's direction. The 40 or so staff who lost their jobs are to sue their former employer over the way they wre dissmissed citeing employment law breach of contract and lack of consultation among the charges.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/28491380

[wolfhound]

Counter claim by Caterham against the staff who have left the company. This looks like it could get dirty.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115201

[Sodemo]

Ugly.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

Counter claim by Caterham against the staff who have left the company. This looks like it could get dirty.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115201

ah the classic 'you actually dont work for us but some third part company that we hired to do some work for us so your complaint is with them'

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

ah the classic 'you actually dont work for us but some third part company that we hired to do some work for us so your complaint is with them'

So it seems.
The argument is that Caterham F1 holds the entrants licence but is not the firm your employment contract is with... but another. The public statements are bringing us into disrepute and its not us your argument is against.

However if that firm is wholly owned or is under the same directorship then the argument may not stand up. Another interesting note is the lack of payment.

Caterham F1 says all it's current employees have been paid for the month in advance of the end of the month, but that means it may not have paid the members of the actual employing company of the other staff or the dismissed staff...
http://www.pitpass.com/52208/Caterha...rmer-employees

Does this means there is a bit of smoke and mirrors going on...?

The other issue is that this may reflect badly on the other Caterham operations Tony Fernandes has retained so the sooner it all transfers the better it may be for him.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by bella

i'd love to know what qualifies christijan albers to run a business, and when kolles last created a winning team.

A complete mystery....

[P38 in workshop]

It might help if Caterham were to issue a clarification along the lines of "everybody who was employed by the Caterham group at the time of the change of ownership has been paid in full". Removing all ambiguity is the only way they seem likely to shake off suspicions of legalistic hair splitting and similar fancy footwork.

[JeremySmith]

I don't think this team will be around much longer...

[wnut]

Originally Posted by P38 in workshop

It might help if Caterham were to issue a clarification along the lines of "everybody who was employed by the Caterham group at the time of the change of ownership has been paid in full". Removing all ambiguity is the only way they seem likely to shake off suspicions of legalistic hair splitting and similar fancy footwork.

It is interesting that Mr Saward who is a Caterham director and quite used to bagging the affairs of other teams in the guise of a professional analyst and commentator is completely silent on the matter of Caterham royally shafting its staff!

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by wnut

It is interesting that Mr Saward who is a Caterham director and quite used to bagging the affairs of other teams in the guise of a professional analyst and commentator is completely silent on the matter of Caterham royally shafting its staff!

To be fair to Joe Saward he is a director of the road car side of the business not F1 and the current job loses were carried out by the new owners not under Tony Fernandes ownership.

[bella]

yeah, fernandes just royally shafted the team, not the individuals.

apparently, according to reports, disclaimer, just passing on what i've seen, etc etc.

it's very expensive to start making redundancies of permanent staff. you start having to pay wages for years service unless you have a gross misconduct excuse. there's no short cut. they've tried to create one and it's very unlikely that it worked...

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

To be fair to Joe Saward he is a director of the road car side of the business not F1 and the current job loses were carried out by the new owners not under Tony Fernandes ownership.

I do believe that Saward was a board director of the Caterham Group of Companies, and that the F1 team would have resided under the "umbrella" of the Group.

As for the way that the staff who have been made redundant, their apparent (alleged) treatment is not uncommon with companies who use smoke and mirrors to hide their identity, usually from the tax man and other creditors. If it ever makes it to court, which I somehow doubt, a lot of dirty washing will have to be produced.

[Paradise City]

Fernandes basically declared his intent in January that if they didn't substantially improve; they'd face the axe within a backdrop of booming budgets and no cap to put a lid on it. Don't know if providing some notice helps Fernandes out in the eyes of you guys.

[GTRMagic]

"Pay for tyres or no play" - report

Could be fun in Suzuka soon