Bless his heart, Caterham Finbarr O'Connell tried to field questions from the media, as he came along with the team to help head up the operation for the weekend. He looks about as out of place as it gets.
I have mixed feelings about Mr. O'Connell. On one hand, he's clearly out of his element and doing everything he can to play catch-up on the operations of the Caterham team. If a buyer can step into an operational team, good.
On the other hand, all 230 of Caterham's behind-the-scenes staff (who haven't been paid since September) were quietly just after O'Connell announced Caterham's . Crowdfunders felt slightly ripped off, as not leaving the 230-member staff without a job was one of the many reasons people hoped the team could come to Abu Dhabi in the first place. I don't believe for a second that every staff member there is guaranteed a position under a new owner, either. That's not how the world works. You're never entitled to anything when your company receives new corporate overlords—particularly not a job.
Just after successfully crowdfunding their entry to the final Formula One race of the season at Abu
So, here's one of the most amusing screencaps from the O'Connell interviews today that popped up on Reddit's Formula One board. Just look at Finbarr, all determined for something. What is Suzi Perry asking that is making O'Connell so steely-eyed? Somehow, he looks both determined and confused at once.
The interview from the BBC coverage of qualifying today is below if you're interested in hearing the full thing:
Enough of what they actually said, though. Caption away!
(H/T on Reddit for the screencap)