Formula 1: Forgiving ambitions, and mergers & acquisitions

The new promoters of Sauber and Marussia have a common goal, which is to promote Formula 1 in their region. While Marussia is struggling hard to maintain their place in Formula 1 and if at all they lose their 10th position in the standings, they would lose a fortune of money that is needed for their survival. A return of talks with Caterham wouldn’t be fruitful, and Marussia desperately needs to secure their future to avoid following their arch rivals HRT into demise.

While many of us are keen to see more teams in Formula 1, the top brasses of Formula 1 aren’t keen on expanding the series, which is party agreeable due to the prevailing economic conditions. We do not want to see teams filling up the numbers, we are hoping for a close fight across the series, and if teams combine their forces, this could very well be possible. Considering the lack of support that the 11th team in the standings would be forced to deal with, the best way for teams to mark their presence is to join the forces with like minded teams, and here we are speaking about Marussia and Sauber.

“There are others (Teams) that are spending more money than they have.” – Bernie Ecclestone

Bifurcation of Formula 1: Needless Hope or a Distant Possibility?

We have been hearing this from Bernie for so long now, his statements are often predictable these days. It’s obvious that the teams are forced to spend beyond what they could afford because of the tough competition that exists in Formula 1. They cannot be blamed for that; the midfield and the backmarkers have tried hard for RRA and other conditions to offer a level playing field, but unfortunately the bigger teams always oppose such kind of moves, as it does affect their own performance as well.

The top brass of Formula 1 haven’t reacted yet to the demands of the small teams, but the fans always look for a close competition, and the only way we could get the close competition is when there is a stability in the regulations. One of the reasons for the consistent performances of Force India this season is down to their own improvement due to the lack of a major regulation change, and also due to the advanced and mighty attempt by McLaren.

Since there wasn’t a major regulation change, Force India identified their major problems last season, most of which are due to the issues with the tyres, and tried to overcome their issues, and the result of their development is now visible, although a podium still beckons this team.

With a major regulation change for next season, most of the Formula 1 teams would be pumping more money beyond their ability, to ensure their respective targets are reached. There is a massive risk factor involved with these teams, as it involves their own struggles for profits, and the reward for overcoming the risk factor isn’t massive at all. As stated in this article earlier, Bernie has refused to pump more money into teams, and RRA and other conditions to maintain the level playing field is ruled out of equation.