- Caterham
Fernandes blames big teams for Caterham collapse
Ex-Caterham boss Tony Fernandes says Formula One's big teams should shoulder some of the blame for the downfall of the sport's two smallest outfits in the last week.
Caterham and Marussia have both gone into administration and will not take part in this weekend's US Grand Prix. Although the teams had been struggling, the loss of both before the end of the season has come as a wake-up call to those running the sport.
Fernandes founded Caterham in 2010 and ran the team until midway through this season when he sold up to focus on his main business Air Asia and his Premier League football team Queens Park Rangers. He says the uneven distribution of wealth in the sport, which is upheld by the structuring of prize money, meant he could never hope to compete properly in F1.
"People can blame whoever, but the big teams are as much at fault as anyone," Fernandes told Sky Sports. "The gap has become way too big and it's money. And so I thought, 'Well, I can't compete'. But I can compete at QPR; I can compete at Air Asia.
"Rather than continue something where I thought, one, I wasn't able to give it as much time as possible, two, I thought we were on a beating to none anyway, you've got to be brave and say 'Look, we screwed up. You can't compete; you thought you could and time to leave'.
"The sport has to examine itself as well. Ultimately we couldn't carry on and we would have eventually gone into administration anyway or closed down the team."
Fernandes remains optimistic that Caterham can be sold on by its administrators, but said he would not return to the sport again.
"There are people who want to go racing, for different reasons and Caterham has everything there to do it. There may even be teams within F1 who want a second team - a Red Bull/Toro Rosso situation. So we'll give it maximum support but it's not something I want to get involved in anymore. You've got to immerse yourself in it. Racing's over for me."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
