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[LewEngBridewell]

Watching Q this morning; there was a suggestion by DC that Caterham may well be looking to offload Pic and bring back Kovalainen. I think that is Caterham's issue, two rookie drivers in a relative rookie team!

Yes, I was quite surprised to hear DC say that... Pic of course is marginally the more experienced driver there...

But that experience comes from a lesser team (as least in constructors results terms), Kovalainen has experience at the highest level, during a WDC winning year for McLaren!

I understand the team's desire for a splash of experience, but after only a couple of races! Harsh

[myownalias]

Watching Q this morning; there was a suggestion by DC that Caterham may well be looking to offload Pic and bring back Kovalainen. I think that is Caterham's issue, two rookie drivers in a relative rookie team!

Yes, I was quite surprised to hear DC say that... Pic of course is marginally the more experienced driver there...

But that experience comes from a lesser team (as least in constructors results terms), Kovalainen has experience at the highest level, during a WDC winning year for McLaren!

I understand the team's desire for a splash of experience, but after only a couple of races! Harsh

I guess it depends on whether Pic brings in any money, is he a pay driver or do Caterham pay him a salary? if he is paying for his drive, he'll have more chance of sticking around; but at the end of the day, all that matters is the constructors championship and tenth place, which is worth approximately 10m Euros, Kovalainen's experience could help deliver that; either way, Renault engine, Red Bull gearbox and they are being beaten by Marussia!

[LewEngBridewell]

I was surprised Kovalainen was dropped in the first place.

[andrew]

I would say that caterham have gone backwards so far. Given the lack of experience of Pic and van der Garde I can't really see Caterham moving forward too quickly. Nothing against either driver but neither will be able to give as good feedback on developing the car as an experienced driver like Kovalainen, especially since he's been there sine day 1.

[Coronis]

I was surprised Kovalainen was dropped in the first place.

This, a thousand times this.

Anyways, apparently Caterham are running a 2012/13 hybrid for the first 4 races, which is why they aren't up to pace.

Linkeh

[What's Burning?]

Figured I'd share these, as expected they're TG funny and pretty accurate in their assessment so far.

TOP GEAR It’s about one year now since the Caterham F1 team moved HQ from Norfolk to Oxfordshire. As anyone who has ever moved knows (house, apartment, office, bedroom), the weeks, months, years after a relocation are utter chaos. That might explain Caterham’s early season dip in form this year when — in Australia, Malaysia and China, the season’s first three races — it could get neither of its cars past Jules Bianchi’s ‘flying’ Marussia. The same move might also have explained the team’s decision to continue to race last year’s car; one can only assume they couldn’t find the pencils and the French curves.

All the packing boxes must now have gone from the new Leafield base (that’s the old Arrows place, for the Sunday Afternoon Club hardcore) because in the last three races, Caterham have again found some kind of ‘form’ and finished ahead of Marussia.

Indeed, in Hungary both cars were a whole lap ahead of the Marussias in the jetwash of Hamilton’s flying Mercedes. Marussia, who are currently going through something of a divorce, appear to suffering from their own domestic discombobulation after a promising start to the season.

Two teams then, not a point between them and little likelihood of one either. Do we care? Yes, and we’ll come to the reasons why next week, once we’re finished with these half term reports in time for the racing to resume in Belgium in two weekend’s time.

Marussia has its motives to be in Formula One, surely, though they alone know what they really are. Caterham meanwhile has a brand to build, or rather a brand to bend into a different shape.

Caterham (and it is all the same group) also make quite fantastically effective — not to say evocative — specialist road-racers. A drive in a Seven should be on everyone’s bucket list. However there is very little shared ‘brand equity’ between the current activities of Caterham Cars and Caterham F1. Indeed, there’s more good stuff to be found in the DNA of the numerous Seven variants than in the green and yellow cars of Charles Pic and Guido van der Garde. However when the game moves on — and Caterham begins to sell its take on the Caterham/Alpine/Renault two-seater — then the performance of the F1 cars will become more important.

Right now, in their fourth season, they are again nowhere and I don’t see how it gets any better. Caterham, rather more obviously than the other teams, is concentrating on 2014 right now, not the remaining nine races of the season. It’s presumably been doing that all year in the hope that the gamble, and what must be something rather more than a simple customer relationship with Renault, will produce the car Caterham has been promising for four years now — a turbocharged, Renault-powered Caterham that will move them off the back of the grid.

Are Pic and Van der Garde the talent the team needs to take it forward? Van der Garde is something of an enigma, arriving in F1 with the least convincing CV of any of the rookies, and getting in everyone’s way in Canada. Yet grabbing the opportunity to make Q2 in Monaco and his 14th in Hungary, suggests the deficit to the rated Pic is not as great as you might imagined.

As for Charles Pic himself, well the team’s decision to re-employ Heikki Kovalinen as Friday boy says all you need to know about levels of faith in the Frenchman’s ability. He’s certainly more steady than many of the current generation of F1 freshmen, but if there is a major talent there, then the Caterham CT03 is an even bigger disappointment than we first thought.

Half term grades

Caterham: C plus

Pic: B minus

Van der Garde: C plus

[Jabberwocky]

The place that they moved too was also the home of Super Aguri.

Caterham lost their way wjen they moved Gascoyne on so thst they could sneak Petrov in. Imho

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[Jabberwocky]

Local radio is reporting that Leafield technical center has been evacuated after a fire

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[CookinFlat6]

These Renault engines should really be started in the open air

[Jabberwocky]

Team members being treated for smoke inhalation

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[sagi58]

, Jonathan Noble wrote:">American Alexander Rossi to get F1 outings in Canada, USA

Caterham's reserve driver Alexander Rossi will get his first taste of the team's 2014 Formula 1 car during first practice runs in the Canadian and United States Grands Prix.

The American has had regular outings for the team since first linking up with it in 2011, but his runs in FP1 in Montreal and Austin will be his first opportunity to try out this year's car.

While Rossi is focusing his efforts on GP2 this season, Caterham is giving him the outings as it continues preparations to try to move him up to a full-time role in F1.

"While his focus this year is firmly on GP2, we are pleased to give him more opportunities to play an active role in the F1 team's race weekends and to have him help us develop our car at two races that are very important for us," said team principal Cyril Abiteboul.

Rossi added: "Each time I step into F1 machinery there is an important job to do.

"Montreal and Austin are important races for me and I want to thank Caterham for the opportunity to continue my development to a full time race seat in F1."

[sagi58]

Looking back at some predictions:

, Peter Windsor wrote:">Caterham - Kobayashi vs Ericsson

[youtube]odajonSYRhE[/youtube]

Published on Mar 12, 2014

Peter Windsor and Rob Wilson welcome back Kobayashi to F1, and compare him to Marcus Ericsson in the make or break Caterham.

[Jabberwocky]

http://www.caterhamf1.com/news/2014/cat ... -statement

The team is not for sale we are just looking at loaning 100% equity to whoever wants it

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[Jabberwocky]

Oh dear http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-253905.html

Hope this is not true

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[Hammer278]

What a crappy way to bow out. And after all that fuss about keeping the "Lotus" name and this and that and this....

PFFT. What a waste of time. I'm surprised he didn't change the green to Air Asia colours for the Canadian GP as a final hoorah in advertizing his core business.