Since the Jules Bianchi’s horrific crash at a rain affected Japanese Grand Prix, Formula One has been under a cloud. In the wake of that accident and in deference to the injured driver, Marussia ran one car at the Russian race that followed Japan.
Facing extinction
Matters have since worsened for tail-end teams. Marussia and sparring partners Caterham have both been placed under administration. This tricky position means that both teams been given special dispensation to miss the upcoming USGP without facing penalties from the sports organisers for non-attendance.
And since these two teams’ financial statuses have become public knowledge it seems that they aren’t the only ones with shrinking bank balances. It turns out that Force India and Sauber aren’t doing that well either. Could the list of F1 “also-rans” grow to four over the next few years?
Three car teams on the horizon
It seems that with the number of teams racing in Austin, Texas going down to nine, only 18 cars will take the grid. This brings about an interesting option for the sport as ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone promises no fewer than 20 cars per event.
Suddenly the prospect of the front-running teams fielding three cars has become likelier. The conditions regarding these three-car teams is, typical of F1, shrouded in some secrecy. But if it comes down to watching three Ferraris, McLarens, Mercs and Williams battle it out, instead of seeing point-less Caterham and perennially under-performing Marussia being lapped, I know which I’d prefer.
Not all bad news
Amid all the doom and gloom of teams shutting down it seems that at least one manufacturer may be aiming to enter the sport, Audi. It has emerged in recent weeks that the Four Rings recently hired ex-Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, a man with no endurance racing experience, which begs the question: WHY?
Audi has dominated the WEC and particularly 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it has taken 13 wins in the last 16 years. However, with sister brand Porsche re-entering the fray the Volkswagen AG Board may decide to cover its racing bases a bit more widely. VW for WRC, Porsche for WEC, which leaves premium brand Audi to fight Mercedes in Formula One.
Of course, Audi (under the Auto Union banner) is no stranger to grand prix racing. The company was extremely successful in the pre-WWII era, along with Mercedes. The move would only happen in 2016, at which point there will be another new team in the form of American outfit: Haas F1.
Still no decision
While rumours are rife about three-car outfits and new teams, no one knows yet what colour overalls Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel will be wearing next year. Some of the wilder speculation includes a three car Scuderia with Alonso, Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen as team-mates. Will Raikkonen notice, or even care, that there are three red cars in the garage as opposed to two? The sport’s rulers have to give the teams at least two months’ notice for them to prepare a third car, which means it is still a possibility for next year.
The major unknown for 2016 is, of course, the Honda power unit which McLaren will be using. If the powerplant proves to be as good as, if not better than, the Mercedes turbohybrid then there will be a scramble for seats at McLaren. Will Alonso swallow his Latin pride and go back to the team that jilted him in favour of Hamilton, who was a rookie at the time?
Not done and dusted
Amid all the conjecture the 2014 season is far from over, and even though Mercedes AMG claimed the constructor’s title with three rounds left to run, the driver’s title is still very much up for grabs.
There are really only two candidates, Hamilton and team-mate Nico Rosberg, the former who has won at Circuit of the Americas and the latter, whose body language on the podium at the last few races seemed forlorn.
Whatever the case, the next three rounds are going to be spellbinding, and with the last round in Abu Dhabi worth double points there is lots left to play for.