Millions of pounds worth of equipment -- from racing cars to drivers’ overalls -- belonging to the bankrupt Marussia team went on sale starting on Monday "at an online auction," according to Kevin Eason of the LONDON TIMES. Fans were expected "to rush to get their hands on memorabilia, while businesses will be looking for bargain basement deals on everything from a forklift truck to a race simulator for budding F1 drivers."
Even race cars, including a full-size model of the one intended to compete next season, "are on the market."
The auction "is a sad indictment of an F1 season that ended in rancour and embarrassment as Marussia and Caterham put up the 'for sale' signs on their factory gates" and signaled the failure of a £1B ($1.6B) sport "to look after its own."
Fears grow that Marussia "will not be the last team to fold, triggering another internal scrap" between F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, who shows "no sign of wanting to help teams locked into an unequal financial battle," and execs who want to bail them out (LONDON TIMES, 12/15).
KEEP 'EM QUIET: AUTOSPORT's Jonathan Noble reported Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg "were banned from speaking to their Mercedes Formula 1 team in the immediate fall out of their Belgian Grand Prix crash." Mercedes chiefs "were so angry" that the pair had collided on lap two of the race at Spa that both men were told on the Sunday night in Belgium that they were "not allowed to speak to each other, or anyone at the team, until they were contacted" (AUTOSPORT, 12/15).
