In an interview with Sky Sport. Bernie said that if we were down to eight teams next year. a third car would be allowed. Indeed, it would be a contractual requirement. He denied any knowledge of that being necessary, but it is known that some teams are struggling, some say that as many as four are on the brink.
That's the rumour mill for you, the same process that saw Vettel and Alonso swopping seats and a billionaire interested in buying one of the struggling teams.
You will not find Pitpass naming the struggling teams without hard evidence. Every F1 team is a fair-sized engineering business with employees, shareholders and suppliers. It is downright irresponsible to spread rumours about a company's viability. All rumours have a source and can be started by a rival, something the F1 para-sites should consider.
What is interesting is that the news of three-car teams did not arouse more interest. Could you imagine any of the disciplines of football (Association, NFL, Rugby Union or Rugby League) having to play extra games because there were insufficient teams? Or some teams being allowed to start with more players? It would not only be unthinkable, it would be a major scandal, but Formula One has become inured to scandal.
We take for granted conditions which would not be tolerated in any other sport. About half the revenue generated by Formula One goes to financial institutions whose only interest in the sport is the money it generates for their investors.
FOM guarantees 20 starters and there is a maximum of 24 places on the grid. Eight teams, each running three cars would work, provided they could all afford it. But the problem would be if say four wealthy teams did.
A team's extra car would score neither points nor prize money, but places scored would stand. If, say, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren (or Williams) ran a third car, it would surely diminish the chance of any of the smaller teams scoring a point.
What is less clear are the obligations of the engine suppliers. The three current providers (and Honda) are all major companies who, with the exception of Ferrari (Fiat) have used F1 as and when they have felt they had a reason.
Honda has been in and out like a fiddler's elbow. BMW and Toyota gave F1 a try, as did Peugeot, Chrysler (when it owned Lamborghini), and Ford. I am not sure that a Mercedes-Benz saloon is more desirable because the company finances an F1 team, any more than owning a BMW became less desirable when the company pulled the plug on F1.
Perhaps the engine makers would feel disinclined to provide extra power units. Law suits could follow, but legal action can take a long time and the 2015 season starts next March. As Bernie has shown, clever lawyers can delay hearings for a long time. Bernie's wealth makes him a big hitter by the standards of most people, but not against major manufacturers.
If they refused to supply additional power units, FOM could not meet its obligations and ownership of Formula One could revert to the FIA, which should own it in any case.
Manufacturers may not want to go so far, but they could be in a strong position to negotiate a better deal for the teams and thus perhaps could avoid losing some, or all, of the current contenders. Every team under threat of closure is a customer of one of the engine suppliers and so helps to spread the cost.
Another thing is that major manufacturers are used to cooperating with rivals in order to share costs. There have been several instances of companies creating a joint platform for a road car which they have then made distinctive by their running gear and body style.
If some teams run a third car to make up the numbers, it would be ineligible for points or prize money, but race position would stand. Say a brilliant newcomer in a third car had an amazing season and won most races. He would not be World Champion, or even runner-up, he would score no points at all. Let us remember that the following all began their F1 careers in a third Lotus: Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and John Surtees, to name only World Champions.
If the brilliant newcomer was forced to concede places to his team-mates, the public would be outraged and surely TV ratings would take a further hit.
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