Public spats are rarely pretty things. Occasionally they will generate headlines and stories, with commentary built on allegations, insinuations and open ended mud-slinging.
This evening delivered a rather special example of this when Caterham F1’s former technical director Mark Smith shot a rather public aside across the bows of the team’s departed owner Tony Fernandes.
During a series of tweets where Fernandes lauded the performance of his investments which are apparently worth “about one billion in cash” (no currency denoted), Smith – who was dropped by Caterham last May – responded with “How about paying the 3 years remaining on my contract then Tony? A small amount by comparison.”
In the grand scheme of things, it is not a significant story. Smith is one of many members of the Caterham team who are chasing allegedly unpaid wages, but he is one of the few who – quite suddenly – broke out publicly in this matter.
One cannot help but get the impression that Smith is a rather frustrated character in all of this, but irrespective, it is still probably not the most desirable or professional way to have gone about the subject in what is a very public arena.
Whether Fernandes responds…
Mark Smith’s actions seem quite reasonable to me.
That former owner pats himself on the back rather a lot – looking closer a person surely no-one would want to aspire too?