Monaco 'lucrative' for Caterham
2012-05-30 10:22
THE BEST FEELING: Kovalainen in action for minnows Caterham at the recent Monaco F1 GP.
The 2012 Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix was potentially a lucrative race for the Caterham team.
With actual points still a distant goal for the three back-marker teams, Caterham, Marussia and HRT are instead in a race for the highest classified finish because big money is involved.
Until Monaco, Marussia was leading the non-points race, thanks to the 14th recorded by Timo Glock in Australia.
'BEST FEELING IN YEARS'
The German driver did it again in Monaco but it was Caterham which burst back into lucrative 10th in the World championship thanks to Heikki Kovalainen's 13th.
At the end of the season, 10th is the cut-off for 'Column 1' teams under the Concorde Agreement, an achievement that last year was reportedly worth almost $30-million (around R250-million) to Caterham.
Team boss Tony Fernandes said: "It's significant. It's critical."
More than that, Kovalainen did it in style in Monaco by holding Melbourne winner Jenson Button at bay until the battle ended with a crash.
"Simply great. It was the best feeling I've had in these three years in F1," Fernandes said.
In contrast, Button was unimpressed, joking that he was relieved when he crashed because the "pain" of battling a defiant back-marker was over.
Button added: "There has to be a balance when you're fighting for 12th and I don't think he had it right, but there you go, that's racing."
