Williams F1 Drivers Take Pay Cuts as Team Prepares for Coronavirus Crisis

Williams F1 senior administration and their drivers have accepted a decrease in salary while different workers have been briefly furloughed. It comes because of the influence of the coronavirus pandemic on the F1 season.

It struck not long before the primary race of the season in Australia a month ago. The FIA took the decision to cancel the initial eight races.

Because of the troublesome circumstance, Grove’s Williams F1 group has gotten the cost-cutting measures. The staff is under the administration’s furlough scheme until the finish of May. The top administration, in addition to drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, have taken a 20 percent cut in pay.

Williams F1 is the second team to affirm they are putting a portion of their staff on furlough, an upheld nonattendance from work in view of the coronavirus, with drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi among those accepting a decrease in salary. The team calls it “a wider range of cost-cutting measures”.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact F1. Teams are anticipating financial difficulties onset by a lack of revenue due to the cancelation of the races.

Williams F1 announces measures against Coronavirus

Williams F1 said in a statement: “Due to the ongoing situation involving COVID-19, ROKiT Williams Racing is temporarily furloughing a number of employees as part of a wider range of cost-cutting measures.

“The furlough period will last until the end of May. Whilst senior management, and our drivers, have taken a pay cut of 20% effective from 1st April.

“These decisions have not been taken lightly. However, our aim is to protect the jobs of our staff at Grove and ensuring they can return to full-time work when the situation allows.”

The following race on the 2020 schedule yet to be delayed or dropped is June’s Canadian Grand Prix. The bosses must settle on a choice on whether to proceed before the end of this week.

Their move follows a similar step by McLaren last week.

The news comes seven days after it developed that McLaren F1 has put a portion of its staff on furlough. Drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris accepted a decrease in salary. Representatives who keep on working including senior administration also took a pay decrease.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown says F1 could lose up to four teams in the event that it doesn’t successfully manage the present circumstance.

A month ago, the British government said they would pay 80% of pay rates for staff who are kept on by their manager, concealing wages to £2,500 every month in an offer to assist organizations with holding their workforce and forestall redundancies during the emergency.

Chase Carey will take part in a phone call with the supervisors from the 10 F1 teams on Monday evening. It is to give the recent reports on the circumstance.