Ravetto considers the situation at Caterham F1 “very strange”

The former Caterham F1 director, Manfredi Ravetto, reflected on the events that led to the team’s placement in administration, acknowledging that he found the scenario strange.

When Engavest decided to withdraw from the team’s management, after claiming not to be in possession of the shares bought from Tony Fernandes, Manfredi Ravetto was forced to resign, leaving the team in the hands of judicial administrators tasked with finding a buyer.

Ravetto admits he did not understand the behavior of the Malaysian businessman, former owner of the structure: « An entry in F1 is something sacred, so you must protect it at any cost. But I think what has been done is very strange, and it’s far too aggressive, » he stated for Autosport. « The result is that F1 is losing a team. And it is happening at a bad time because the same thing is happening to Marussia too. »

The Italian rejects the accusations made by Tony Fernandes regarding Engavest’s non-payment of the team’s shares: « As long as we were there, the creditors were under control, the cars were running, and the salaries were paid. End of story. This is something that no one can deny, and if someone says on Twitter that we are not paying, that we have never paid the creditors, and that it was never our intention, then sorry: if I run an F1 team for four months without paying creditors, it means I deserve a Nobel Prize in Economics. »

I hope [that the truth about the situation at Caterham] will come out in court, because I remember very well, and still feel, having been humiliated during public interviews with all sorts of humiliating questions that were asked when you cannot give the whole truth. Just to give you an example, it’s always been difficult to be asked questions about shareholders and this and that, when you see that in the end, you cannot properly answer the question since the transfer of shares was not completed.

Forza Rossa, unfounded rumor

A rumor appeared in recent days, suggesting that the downfall of Caterham had been planned to allow the arrival of Forza Rossa, a structure that had been mentioned in the spring to join the top discipline alongside Haas F1 Team. Since then, few updates had been shared, and Colin Kolles, who seemed to be linked to this project, had ultimately committed to the Caterham path.

For Manfredi Ravetto, such rumors are false: « At no time was Caterham supposed to become Forza Rosso, or transform into Forza Rossa, or trade its registration, or move into Kolles’ premises. All these stories were false. I read the most incredible and, to be honest, the most humiliating stories—like the ones saying that the cars went to Germany right after Sochi. This is not true; the cars didn’t leave England for a single minute. »