Kimi Räikkönen's paycheck was late. German media reports that parts supplies are running low. Rumors are going around that unpaid staff members may go on strike. Is Lotus F1 going broke?
A recent article on Motorsport.com covers a new denial by Lotus head honcho Eric Boullier that his staff may go on strike for not getting paid lately. "There may be some delays, but it will be repaired within a few days," was Boullier's specific denial given to Finnish TV station MTV3.
At the heart of the drama is that 35% of Lotus F1 just got sold to a new consortium, Infinity Racing. And when I say they just got sold, I mean that they announced the sale, but apparently the money for the deal hasn't made its way to Lotus yet.
That would explain these rumors about parts suppliers waiting to deliver components until invoices are paid, and Lotus F1 staff possibly planning to strike.
Of course, this is the rumor-filled world of F1, in a particularly rumor-filled three-week break between races. It's quite possible that these rumors are nothing more than bored journalists looking for a story that isn't there.
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Is Lotus F1 Going Broke?