Team boss dismisses items seized as "memorabilia"
Friday 3 October 2014 13:22, UK
Caterham team boss Manfredi Ravetto was finally able to give their side of the story on Friday, when he arrived in Japan after the raid by bailiffs on their factory.
“No big drama to be honest,” he declared at a hastily-arranged press briefing. “It is absolutely true that bailiffs have been in Leafield.” However, Ravetto added that “not a single screwdriver has been removed”.
His assertion came after the bailiffs in question published a list of items removed from the team’s Oxfordshire HQ on Wednesday.
Ravetto, who was present at the time, said that the bailiffs, The Sheriffs Office, had previously removed items but dismissed them as “memorabilia”.
Caterham insist the items aren’t actually owned by the team, which was bought by a Swiss-Middle Eastern consortium in July after previous owner Tony Fernandes sold up.
“Our opposition was successful and therefore, contrary to rumours or informations which were spread around, no server has been switched off and no additional parts or equipment or whatever has been removed,” Ravetto said.
“I say additional to what was previously removed. But the things that were previously removed were just memorabilia or something. Again, not belonging to the Formula 1 team.”
He added: “I’m very sorry for your colleagues in TV crews which were in Leafield yesterday to whole day waiting for the Sheriff to come. I presume they were disappointed by not seeing any Sheriff turning up.”
Among the items listed on the bailiffs’ website were car parts destined for use this weekend. However, Ravetto believes they’re mistaken.
“We introduced this morning a new front wing. I imagine that somebody is tweeting on social media that we managed to hide it from the bailiffs. This is just bull***t,” he asserted.
“I also read somewhere that it was sent to Japan with a secret courier. Just bull***t again.”
The Sheriffs Office said at first that the items would be sold at public auction later this month. They’ve since back-tracked, however, following an intervention by Caterham’s solicitor.
Ravetto admitted that the situation is complicated. In buying the team, the new owners have taken on debts owed to suppliers – hence the bailiffs chasing assets.
A lot of equipment the team uses is still owned by Fernandes, who remains in charge of the rest of the Caterham empire, which is also based at Leafield.
Ravetto said Caterham’s race entry was probably the most valuable asset the team itself owned. He also said that, with hindsight, they should probably have moved elsewhere when the new buyers came in.
“In order to keep the whole structure quiet, in order to make no drama, in order to make no revolution after the takeover, we never decided to make a physical split,” he said.
“Today I regret this. I think we should have done a physical, geographical split from day one.”
Fernandes, the Air Asia mogul who also owns Queens Park Rangers, pulled out of F1 after growing exasperated at his team’s lack of progress.
Now in their fifth season, Caterham have yet to score a point. However, the new owners have criticised their predecessors for spending beyond their means – a point Ravetto touched on once more.
“You know this team’s new management style. We prefer to avoid big talk, big speeches and do facts,” he said.
He added that Caterham’s 2015 car is currently being wind tunnel tested at Toyota’s Cologne facility but stopped short of saying for certain whether it would be on the grid next season.
“I did not provide you with a first-call bank guarantee that we will be until the end of the season or even next year. But who can do this?”
The 2014 Japanese GP is live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Extensive coverage of Race Day at Suzuka begins at 5.30am on Sunday with lights out at 7am.
