Formula One faces the prospect of teams fielding up to three cars from next year, according to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
With the inevitability of losing one or more of the current teams, who are dwindling in terms of performance and finances, the possibility of seeing the remaining teams run a third car may become reality.
Ecclestone said ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix over the weekend, “I would rather see Ferrari with three cars, or any of the other top teams with three cars, than having teams that are struggling.”
He went on to suggest the sport should consider moving to three cars even if the current teams make to next season.
At the moment the teams that hang on a knife’s edge in the sport are Caterham, Sauber and Marussia.
Despite being bought out earlier in the season by a mysterious consortium of Swiss and Middle Eastern investors, Caterham still face the possibility of not seeing the light of 2015 in Formula One.
Sauber too, despite their longevity in the sport, faces a dark time, having scored no points this season. Their much discussed deal with Russian investors last year did not go through. Not long also Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll was linked with buying the team, but that did not go through either.
Even though they scored their maiden points at the Monaco Grand Prix, Marussia still don’t have a clear future. The sponsorship kerfuffle at the Belgian Grand Prix involving their driver Max Chilton only highlighted the difficult situation the team are currently in.
The solution, as already suggested, if some of the current 11 teams drop out is that the remaining teams run a third car as part of their operation.
Having three Ferrari cars or three Williams cars could be more entertaining, creating a better show for spectators. There is also the possibility to give reserve drivers, such as Susie Wolff, the chance to step up to a full-time gig. It could also open up an avenue for bigger teams to even front customer cars, another topic being thrown around.
A major downside could be that the teams have a bigger cost burden to deal with. At the moment, most of the teams are advocating for an unfreezing of the engine homologation rules to allow to them develop their power-units through the season.
Encouraging teams to run a third car if a couple of teams don’t survive at the end of this year would also see a less diverse grid. Rather than having teams set up a third car, the sport should encourage more entries such as the one headed by NASCAR team co-owner Gene Haas for 2015.
While there could be some intriguing benefits for the sport by fielding a third car per team, such as giving reserve drivers a chance to finally get to compete in a full race weekend, the downsides include an increase of costs for the teams that survive through to 2015, and it doesn’t encourage new teams to enter the sport.
Are there any Roarers who feel that having a third car per team is the right way forward for the sport? Or are three car teams not such a good idea?
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