Bernie Ecclestone believes this season’s new Formula One teams would not be missed if they left the sport.
Speaking to the Telegraph, the F1 rights’ holder said he suspects that “one or two” teams will drop out of Formula 1 before the end of 2010.
See Autocar's ongoing picture review of the 2010 F1 season
While singling out Lotus as a worthwhile addition to the field, he suggested the other 2010 newcomers have brought little to the sport.
He said: “The bottom line is they haven’t really and truly given us value for being there. If suddenly these teams don’t turn up at races then I don't think the crowds will get any smaller, or the TV sets will turn off, or the newspapers will stop writing, will they?”
“I would not be surprised if one or two of [the new teams] did not make the end of the season,” he added. “I think there are a couple of teams in Formula 1 who really shouldn’t be there. They are a bit out of their depth at the moment.”
Ecclestone does not feel it is essential to have 24 cars on the grid and believes a return to a 10-team field would be no problem at all for F1.
“All we ever want is 10 teams,” he said. “Lotus is a good name. I wouldn’t want to lose them. But in general this year has been a bit of a nuisance because it has cost money to keep these [struggling] teams in. It has cost a lot of money to pay for them to compete.”
