The FIA would not require teams to run a third car at the end of the season
The difficult financial situation of certain teams raises the threat of a grid with fewer than 20 cars as early as the next races. However, the FIA is not expected to require the teams to run three cars for the end of the season.
As doubts arise about the participation of some teams in the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season, the FIA has indicated that it will not impose a third car per team for the remaining races.
The situation of Caterham seems the most delicate: the Leafield team is in administration. The court-appointed administrators have taken control of the structure to find a buyer and have already obtained a waiver from the FOM president, Bernie Ecclestone, to miss the United States Grand Prix (from October 31 to November 2) and the Brazilian Grand Prix (from November 5 to 7).
Doubts have also arisen at Marussia: the team, lacking funds, also has to deal with an internal situation complicated by the serious accident of Jules Bianchi. The Russian team ran only one car in Russia, in tribute to its driver who remains in critical condition in Japan.
If the grid were to fall below 20 cars—which the withdrawals of Caterham and Marussia would automatically cause—the commercial agreements made between the FIA, FOM, and the teams stipulate that some structures could be required to field a third car. However, Autosport reports that teams would have 60 days to get it running. Furthermore, this deadline is coupled with a number of necessary clarifications that would make any attempt to introduce an additional chassis extremely delicate.
Internal sources have confirmed to Autosport that the FIA would not seek to replace cars if the grid were to fall below the minimum number.
For 2015, if the question needs to be asked, the path is not fully laid out: indeed, the big teams are not convinced by the third car, which does not appear to be a realistic solution. Toto Wolff, the director of Mercedes, recently stated that such a possibility could only occur after a certain period: « It is written in the rules that if the grid falls below 20 cars, the FIA and the commercial rights holders can ask a team to provide a third car. Now, that’s quite a decision. »
First, you must have the logistics, infrastructure, and resources to run a third car. Then, you must have a smart rule about who would drive a third single-seater. Where would it be run? Who would driver it? Would it score points? And with which livery would it run? There are many things to sort out before being able to run it, and I don’t see that happening, he explains.
« I’m keeping my fingers crossed because I hope all the teams will remain in F1. But history has shown that teams come and go, so it wouldn’t be something that would be a big shock, » he concluded.
