Things in Formula 1 happen fast- real fast. Mind you, in this case we’re not talking about the speed of the cars but the fact that not one, but two F1 teams disappeared between two races.
It is probably the world’s worst kept secret that sponsors are not rushing in to join the Formula 1 circus. So while the big teams, such as Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, don’t suffer from a shortage of sponsorship money, those at the back of the grid suffer the most and even pay drivers cannot offset the costs.
In just five days after the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, both Caterham and Marussia were placed under administration. This means that they will surely miss the US GP, reducing the cars on the starting grid by four, to 18.
The last time this happened was in 2005 in San Marino, when BAR Honda was serving a two-race penalty imposed by FIA. By coincidence, it was the same year that just six cars lined up on the starting light: they were the ones running Bridgestone tires, while the ones equipped with Michelins were deemed unsafe for the race.
Guess what? This GP was also held in the US, albeit at the Indianapolis Speedway instead of Austin. Thus, spectators will get to see fewer cars – even though some suggest that the loss of four backmarkers will have absolutely no impact at all.
By Andrew Tsaousis