11/12/2008
NEWS STORY
 |
Despite the bright sunshine, there is a certain amount of gloom in the paddock in Jerez this week.
Naturally, there is much talk of Honda, which should have been testing alongside the other six teams here as preparations for 2009 continue. Then there is the speculation over who might be next, as every day begins with further horror headlines as the global financial crisis continues.
However, the fact is that as many as 50 percent of the people working in Jerez this week could find themselves out of a job next year should the F1 budget cuts prove as Draconian as threatened.
The rules have already seen in-season testing dramatically reduced, however, should the teams and the FIA agree, as speculated, on even greater cuts, with talk of a total ban on in-season testing, many teams would do away with their test team personnel in one fell stroke.
Consequently, there's a lot of gloom in the Jerez paddock.