ALL three Formula 1 teams with a base in Oxfordshire have now put a proportion of their staff into the government’s furlough scheme.

The “vast majority” of the Renault personnel at Enstone are now off until the end of May.

Haas, who are an American team with a facility in Banbury, have also reportedly taken advantage of the job retention measure for a section of their UK workforce.

They follow in the wake of Grove’s Williams team, who had already taken similar action.

Formula 1 was shut down on the eve of the season, in Australia last month.

A further eight races have either been cancelled or postponed, which means the season will not start until at least the end of June – with the French Grand Prix the first race as things stand.

Renault said the measures would protect the team in the short term.

The furlough scheme commits to covering 80 per cent of wages up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

But the team have said they will top up the income of those affected to cover a minimum of 80 per cent of their actual salaries.

The remaining staff who are active, including management, will receive a pay cut, while those at their headquarters at Viry-Chatillon in France will operate part-time for 12 weeks.

Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport Racing’s managing director: “The very difficult human and sanitary circumstances that we are experiencing and the strict lockdown in France and England, as well as in most of the Grand Prix-organising countries, do not yet allow us to measure the impact on our sport.

“We therefore must use all the measures at our disposal to get through this prolonged period of uncertainty and inactivity as best as we can, while protecting the whole team we have built over the past four years.”

Haas’s cuts are also believed to include their drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.