planetf1.com

'Drunken brawl' at HRT factory as laid off workers try to collect redundancy. The owners can go &^%$ up a wall but I feel so sorry for the mechanics and staff.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/drunk ... t-factory/

Reports emerging that the directors tried to flee the factory in the HRT F112 but the mechanics caught up with them on foot.

Ouch, it's all gone pete tong!

Way to market yourselves to other employers.

Really sad state of affairs, though perhaps not entirely surprising.

Covalent wrote:Way to market yourselves to other employers.

I can understand their frustration, execs and drivers aren't as hard hit as the mechanics and logistic workers and such, its their lively hood, execs can move on to something else drivers plenty of other motorsports to take part in especially with backing behind them, spains economy as it is must be quite frightening for some there

becker wrote:Reports emerging that the directors tried to flee the factory in the HRT F112 but the mechanics caught up with them on foot.

The best and worst thing I've read all week.

I wonder given the teams financial woes all season whether the mechanics have even been paid.

Robbo-92 wrote:I wonder given the teams financial woes all season whether the mechanics have even been paid.

Exactly. They still owe Toyota money too. And if Lotus can't pay Kimi you have to wonder how HRT can pay the staff. I find this sort of thing so depressing, so much sympathy for them.

Balibari wrote:

Robbo-92 wrote:I wonder given the teams financial woes all season whether the mechanics have even been paid.

Exactly. They still owe Toyota money too. And if Lotus can't pay Kimi you have to wonder how HRT can pay the staff. I find this sort of thing so depressing, so much sympathy for them.

If they haven't been paid and from the article it sounds like they are not going to get any compensation for being made redundant I can see why they would go to the owners with a bad attitude and cause a drunken brawl

becker wrote:Reports emerging that the directors tried to flee the factory in the HRT F112 but the mechanics caught up with them on foot.

jammin78 wrote:Ouch, it's all gone pete tong!

Just read this at Sewards blog (wordpress)

There are reports today that when the team members returned to Madrid after the race there was a confrontation with one of the management and that the police were called. No-one was arrested, but reports were published suggesting that the team members were drunk.

I am told that this was not the case at all and that the team members became irate when they were not allowed to leave the premises until they agreed to sign a contract termination document; and that personal effects, such as car keys, were withheld.

I guess you can believe whichever story you like but whatever the case, it is a sad end to a story that involved a lot of people doing a lot of work in an effort to keep the team alive.

moby wrote:Just read this at Sewards blog (wordpress)

There are reports today that when the team members returned to Madrid after the race there was a confrontation with one of the management and that the police were called. No-one was arrested, but reports were published suggesting that the team members were drunk.

I am told that this was not the case at all and that the team members became irate when they were not allowed to leave the premises until they agreed to sign a contract termination document; and that personal effects, such as car keys, were withheld.

I guess you can believe whichever story you like but whatever the case, it is a sad end to a story that involved a lot of people doing a lot of work in an effort to keep the team alive.

This is almost exactly what I assumed the truth to be, it's just a little more severe! It didn't add up that a rowdy gang of mechanics drunkenly assaulted the management. HRT's upper echelons have always seemed like absolute scum to me.

Sad story.

At the same time i just picture Benny Hill being chased by a bunch of mechanics.

Narian was the ringleader probably, that scamp.

I have a mental picture of a bunch of mechanics chasing a fat spanish guy in a suit (who kinda looks like the go compare guy), all wielding cucumbers.

RickM wrote:I have a mental picture of a bunch of mechanics chasing a fat spanish guy in a suit (who kinda looks like the go compare guy), all wielding cucumbers.

Somewhere along the line my education has failed me. What is it with the cucumbers?

vettel called Kartikyan a cucumber after vettel hit him in Malaysia i think it was.

http://en.espnf1.com/malaysia/motorspor ... 74313.html

The workers were trying to collect compensation? I thought their jobs at HRT were volunteer since they have no money.

becker wrote:Reports emerging that the directors tried to flee the factory in the HRT F112 but the mechanics caught up with them on foot.

moby wrote:Just read this at Sewards blog (wordpress)

There are reports today that when the team members returned to Madrid after the race there was a confrontation with one of the management and that the police were called. No-one was arrested, but reports were published suggesting that the team members were drunk.

I am told that this was not the case at all and that the team members became irate when they were not allowed to leave the premises until they agreed to sign a contract termination document; and that personal effects, such as car keys, were withheld.

I guess you can believe whichever story you like but whatever the case, it is a sad end to a story that involved a lot of people doing a lot of work in an effort to keep the team alive.

Surely withholding personal belongings and not allowing people to leave is illegal? Disgusting behaviour by the management if true.

Sonic4liv3 wrote:vettel called Kartikyan a cucumber after vettel hit him in Malaysia i think it was.

http://en.espnf1.com/malaysia/motorspor ... 74313.html

Ah thanks

To be fair no one works for nothing. If my company, were expecting me to work in a multi million pound industry around the world for the majority of the year, the least I would expect is to get paid.

Covalent wrote:Way to market yourselves to other employers.

Surely they should get paid for what they have done though?

unless they are paid by results

Lojik wrote:
Surely withholding personal belongings and not allowing people to leave is illegal? Disgusting behaviour by the management if true.

I don't believe it, probably lies, just like them being drunk.

G1n wrote:

Lojik wrote:
Surely withholding personal belongings and not allowing people to leave is illegal? Disgusting behaviour by the management if true.

I don't believe it, probably lies, just like them being drunk.

Locked locker rooms?

annnnnd everyone at RedBull gets 10k.

Not the first time a team that hired Karthikeyan for the whole season sold out at the end of the year

Maybe if they showed the same passion for setting up their cars they would have done better.

Maybe if they showed the same passion for setting up their cars they would have done better.

Davidbl wrote:

Covalent wrote:Way to market yourselves to other employers.

Surely they should get paid for what they have done though?

And assault the management if they don't?

Smus wrote:Maybe if they showed the same passion for setting up their cars they would have done better.

How in the world does "passion" equate with "budget" and "competency"?

MY question is how can they afford to get drunk?

Whatever the reality of the situation, I am quite appalled by HRT Management.

My understanding is that they were hiring people not that long ago with attractive packages despite the fact that they already knew that there was not much chance of the team surviving and were merely hiring like crazy to look attractive to potential investors.

People made choices to take those jobs over others and move their lives in good faith. The approach by HRT Management has actually damaged lives and I hope they are properly held accountable for it, though I doubt they will be.

kai_ wrote:Whatever the reality of the situation, I am quite appalled by HRT Management.

My understanding is that they were hiring people not that long ago with attractive packages despite the fact that they already knew that there was not much chance of the team surviving and were merely hiring like crazy to look attractive to potential investors.

People made choices to take those jobs over others and move their lives in good faith. The approach by HRT Management has actually damaged lives and I hope they are properly held accountable for it, though I doubt they will be.

That is a positive way to go about saying it but I think these people chose positions at HRT as they were unable to get jobs at better teams for the same reason a better qualified individual works/gets job at a better firm than the other guy. I guess they knew full well the risks of working at a small team especially given the history of F1 where many teams have folded over the years. This is not in defence of HRT higher-ups mind you, They are cocks.

Smus wrote:Maybe if they showed the same passion for setting up their cars they would have done better.

Nice.

Maky wrote:

kai_ wrote:Whatever the reality of the situation, I am quite appalled by HRT Management.

My understanding is that they were hiring people not that long ago with attractive packages despite the fact that they already knew that there was not much chance of the team surviving and were merely hiring like crazy to look attractive to potential investors.

People made choices to take those jobs over others and move their lives in good faith. The approach by HRT Management has actually damaged lives and I hope they are properly held accountable for it, though I doubt they will be.

That is a positive way to go about saying it but I think these people chose positions at HRT as they were unable to get jobs at better teams for the same reason a better qualified individual works/gets job at a better firm than the other guy. I guess they knew full well the risks of working at a small team especially given the history of F1 where many teams have folded over the years. This is not in defence of HRT higher-ups mind you, They are cocks.

I think it's a bit disingenuous to assume that people went to HRT because they were unable to get a job at a better team. People have varying motivations for why they take up positions - lifestyle, salary, promotion to a better position even though it's not as well-regarded an organisation to get the experience, working environment.

I think HRT going down the slump has also to do with a lot of bad management decisions. The move of the base to Spain, not really a cradle of motorsport and a weak economy seemed like a death pit. Colin made significant progression with them in their second season but that was all wiped of this season. I expected them to struggle this year but not this bad. I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to buy this team not as long as the base is in Spain. I hope for 1 or 2 new teams to enter F1 for 2014.