F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has handed "financially-troubled" Caterham a boost as it returns to the grid at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to the BBC. Ecclestone has "waived freight costs and chartered a plane for staff attending the season-ending race." Caterham, which went into administration in October, is "back racing" after raising £1.8M ($2.8M) from crowd-funding. Ecclestone: "They wanted to go, so we've transported them at no cost to them." Administrator Smith & Williamson had set Caterham a target of
raising £2.35M ($3.68M) through a public crowd-funding project to allow it to
race again. But on Friday, it "confirmed sponsors would meet
the shortfall and 40 team personnel would be able to prepare the cars to
race at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi this weekend." Caterham Administrator & Interim Team Principal Finbarr O'Connell is "set to meet a potential purchaser at the Abu Dhabi race" (BBC, 11/19). The PA reported Ecclestone, however, is "unsure whether O'Connell's discussions with a
number of interested parties looking at buying the team will result in
them being saved." On "whether Caterham will be in F1 next season," he said, "We will have to wait and see. It's all a bit mad at the moment, and what is happening doesn't do a lot of good for Formula One" (PA, 11/19).
