An employee of the McLaren Formula 1 Team has had to quit her job due to fuel prices in the UK hitting an all-time high.
The employee, Natasha Worsfold, announced her decision in a tweet posted on Saturday and said she will continue to support McLaren.
“The biggest decision I have ever had to make done now, I am sad to say I am having to leave my dream job and F1 due to the expense of traveling, 1 month to go, thank you @McLarenF1 it has been amazing,” she wrote.
In a separate tweet, Worsfold explained that she decided to leave McLaren due to her 36-mile commute becoming more expensive than ever due to fuel prices in the UK reaching an all-time high.
One user branded it an “absolute shambles” that McLaren weren’t covering the cost of her daily commute, but Worsfold was quick to point out it was her decision to not live closer to the McLaren Technology Centre and emphasised that the vast majority of companies don’t cover the cost of their employees’ daily commute.
Other F1 fans agreed with her, reiterating that it is very rare for a company to reimburse its employees for their travel expenses.
Meanwhile, an employee of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) expressed his empathy and said the increased cost of travel is also “hitting him hard.”
“I feel for you mate, I do 64 miles to Mercedes HPP and back, it is hard.
“Expense of travelling is hitting me hard also, huge respect to you for calling time. Must be hard! You would think that the teams might contribute to so much fuel each month to help out at least.”
While most comments focused on the reason for Worsfold being forced to quit, some social media users – including Randeep Singh, McLaren Racing’s director of strategy and sporting – simply wished her well in her future endeavours.
Worsfold has already handed in her notice and will continue to work at McLaren until mid-March.