Marcus Ericsson has terminated his contract with Caterham, which means he will not be driving in Abu Dhabi should the crowdfunding project allow the team to make to trip.
In theory the team was obliged to use the Swede, whose sponsorship was paid until the end of the season. The news does at least mean that the administrators now running the outfit can take a driver with funds, if there are any takers.
Speaking via social media Ericsson said: “Following recent events re Caterham Sports Limited and 1 MRT Sdn Bhd, my adviser Eje Elgh and I have decided to terminate, with immediate effect, all agreements connecting me to the Caterham F1 team. This is a sad day as we have greatly enjoyed working with the team through a difficult and tough season.
“I wish to thank Colin Kolles, Manfredi Ravetto, Cyril Abiteboul and every other member of the Caterham F1 team for your trust and confidence in me, and for making my first Formula 1 season an educational and unforgettable experience. In addition, I thank my good friend and teammate Kamui Kobayashi for being an inspiring benchmark throughout the year, and hope to see him back on the track soon.”
Former GP3 driver Alice Powell has expressed an interest to the media re driving in FP1 in Abu Dhabi, but her chances of getting a superlicence would seem to be zero.
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog 
Any chance Ericsson now turns up in one of the Saubers at Abu Dhabi?
I can’t see anything in the regs that would prevent a driver from driving for more than one team in the same season, so from Ericsson’s point of view it should be ok. The team can use up to 4 drivers (FP appearances included) in the same season, so as long as Sauber hasn’t already done that, it should also be ok.
However, I suppose it comes down to driver contracts. If the sponsors that back Gutierrez and Sutil have paid up for the whole season, I suspect Sauber wouldn’t want to jeopardise those deals just to get Marcus in the car for Abu Dhabi. At the same time, there’s enough discussion going on concerning those contracts – especially Sutil’s, as it seems – so who knows? And in the test session that follows the Abu Dhabi GP, I’d be surprised if Marcus wasn’t there.
FYI Sutil does not bring sponsors – he is paid (or is supposed to be). That’s the whole point.
Loving your view on Powell’s chance of a super licence 🙂
I was informed that no money was lost from Ericssons funds as a result of the no show – meaning that there must be a pay as you go-clause in his deal with Caterham.
Nonsense. Informed by who exactly? His sponsorship was paid until the end of the season and he still didn’t want to waste time waiting for what will no doubt be a total shambles to unfold. In theory he is owed a refund for the two races he was present at and ready to drive and the team failed to show up…