As doubts over when - indeed, even if - the 2020 season will get underway, McLaren has become the first F1 team to place its workers on furlough.

The move is across the board at the McLaren Group and includes not only the F1 team but it's sports car and applied technology divisions.

"The McLaren Group is temporarily furloughing a number of employees as part of wider cost-cutting measures due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business," said the company in a statement.

"These measures are focused on protecting jobs in the short-term to ensure our employees return to full-time work as the economy recovers," it added.

Furlough means that although a worker remains on the payroll and retains their job, they are put on a temporary leave of absence and not paid, instead it is the hard-pressed taxpayer who picks up the tab, as the UK government recently announced that it will pay 80% of furloughed employees wages up to a maximum of £2,500.00 a month.

Similar moves by a number of companies, not least Tottenham and Newcastle football clubs, have caused understandable public outrage.

Meanwhile, drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris have both insisted that their pay be cut, the Spaniard thought to earn around £6m a year while the Briton is on £600,000.

According to reports, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have both told their teams that they are willing to take pay cuts, as the teams seek to make up the money they are losing with the season in limbo.

While McLaren is the first team to furlough its workers it will not be the last, while we understand a major motorsport media company has reduced its employees pay by 20% until the season gets underway... after all, those endless galleries will only get you so many clicks.

The McLaren F1 team employs around 850, while the Group has around 3,700 in total. However the company insists that as many as 150 will continue working on the 'VentilatorChallengeUK' project.