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Formula One is not a level playing field. In its current format, it never will be.
There are the teams who can win the constructors championship, the midfield teams, and the teams who try to avoid finishing last.
For as long as the current prize money arrangement exists, where the rich teams like Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari are rewarded, while the on track minnows like Sauber and Caterham struggle financially, the gap will never close.
The majority of the $700 million a year in TV and prize money will continue to be funnelled back into the top teams of the sport, with the lower teams who need the money most desperately to develop seeing only a small percentage of the income.
Over the last few years, there have been numerous attempts to introduce a ‘budget cap’ of sorts to make the sport both more financially sustainable and more competitive.
The debate has ebbed and flowed since 2008, coming to a head on more than one occasion.
At the beginning of 2014, Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone said to the Daily Express “We have approved the budget cap. It is going to happen.”
This sounds like great news for the Saubers, Force Indias, and Williams’ of the Formula One Paddock.
Unfortunately, the changes will have come a little too late for some teams.
Since 2008, Formula One has lost Honda, Toyota, Super Aguri, HRT and most recently, Marussia.
Occasionally these teams are sold and re-entered under new names with varying levels of success.
But this is only a temporary solution and doesn’t solve the problem. The 2014 wooden spooners in the constructors championship, Caterham, have entered administration in October after having two changes of ownership in the last four months.
They couldn’t compete in the US or Brazilian Grands Prix this year, due to financial constraints, and only managed to get to Abu Dhabi after fans raised enough money to get the team there and back.
The administrators are confident a suitable buyer can be found for the team to clear their debts and give them another crack at Formula One, but is it really the best thing for the sport to have them involved?
Clearly fans want to see them on the grid, or else they wouldn’t have contributed financially to the team’s involvement in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Having more cars on the grid does contribute to producing quality racing with more on track battles, but does that necessarily produce the best racing?
Having another two drives available in Formula One is a great opportunity for young drivers, just like Will Stevens who made his debut for Caterham in Abu Dhabi this year.
However, as clean on track as he was, he finished the race dead last, a lap down.
While it does fulfil Caterham’s agreements with sponsors and Formula One Management, their involvement was hardly a great contribution to the spectacle of the season finale.
Is this really the kind of experience Formula One drivers should be pushing for?
Caterham are hoping to be part of the 2015 season, but in order to save money they will be running their 2014 car with minor adjustments to suit the regulations.
How conducive is this to the company’s development? While they are still seen to be a part of the Formula One circus, surely this will only further detach them from the back of the field.
As the other teams further develop their cars, Caterham will be left in a horrible, hovering limbo. Fans of Formula One don’t want to see this.
They want progress and hot competition for every place throughout the field. They want action in every corner and to see the best drivers in the most outstanding, up to date machinery. But just as much as this, Formula One fans love an underdog story.
If Caterham Sports can find a buyer who will clear their debts, build them a competitive car and turn them into ‘Giant killers’. It’s a fantastic story for Formula One.
But unfortunately, Formula On eis so cutthroat that it’s unlikely.
If not, there’s always the introduction of Haas Formula One in 2016 to look forward to.
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