Caterham F1's "remarkable" attempt to "fund their place on the grid in Abu Dhabi appears doomed, with little more than 24 hours" to raise £1M ($1.57M), according to Daniel Johnson of the London TELEGRAPH. The "beleaguered team," which is in administration and has "not paid staff in nearly two months, had hoped to reach" £2.35M ($3.69M) through crowdfunding to make it to the final race of the year. However, Caterham administrator and interim team principal Finbarr O'Connell said on Thursday afternoon that "even if Caterham fall short, they could still plough ahead and go to Abu Dhabi." O'Connell: "We are talking to a number of parties who could make a substantial investment. It is possible then if we got to £1.8 million ($2.8M) tomorrow and had pledges of £0.5 million ($790,000) from sources then we could make an executive decision to go. I don't want to take the drama away but it could be that we get close with fans' donations and then it is topped up by some serious investors." Wise heads in the paddock "are far less sure." F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone said, "The question if they get to Abu Dhabi is whether they will have
enough money to come home." Eyebrows were "also raised after it emerged that the company used to organise
the crowdfunding, Crowdcube, is a client of the administrators" (TELEGRAPH, 11/13). AUTOSPORT's Jonathan Noble reported Sauber Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn has urged FIA President Jean Todt to "step in and help sort out Formula 1's small teams costs crisis." With the bigger outfits "not willing to give up any of their income," and Ecclestone "appearing unsympathetic to their plight, Kaltenborn says that Todt is their last hope of effecting change." However, Kaltenborn admitted that "hopes of him taking action are slim after he failed to push through with a cost cap plan that had been agreed at the start of the year." Kaltenborn: "You have to be careful on that one because the last time we relied on him, when we had this unanimous agreement on cost control, nothing happened" (AUTOSPORT, 11/13).
