A last-ditch attempt to return the Marussia F1 team to the grid for the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP has collapsed, Sky Sports News HQ has learnt.

Negotiations between administrators and potential investors fell through on Wednesday, dashing hopes that the team would return to the grid for the first time since last month’s Russian GP.

After being placed in administration, the team have missed the U.S. and Brazil GPs and were formally wound up two weeks ago.

There has been no official comment from administrators, but it is understood that talks with the unnamed group had been going on since the start of the week.

Marussia are currently ninth in the Constructors' Championship, but following their demise it remains unclear what will happen to the prize money, estimated at around £30m, that their position would, in normal circumstances, have generated.

Max Chilton, who has raced for Marussia since the start of 2013, tweeted on Wednesday night: "Devastated for everyone involved at Marussia in the past 24 hours that the hard work trying to get to Abu Dhabi didn't work out as we hoped."

In more heartening news, it was also announced on Wednesday that Jules Bianchi, the Marussia driver seriously injured in the Japanese GP, is no longer in an artificial coma and has been transferred to his native France.

The 25-year-old does, however, remain unconscious and in a critical condition.