Are new F1 teams looking hard at 2021 new deal and regs?

[John S]

Quite possibly is the answer from Glenn and Scott over at Autosport.
They've made a vid detailing outfits that just might want to step up to the mark should budget caps become a reality.

[Alonsofan]

An interesting article  I am all for teams such as Audi or Porsche joining F1 just not so keen on the B-Team idea. It's bad enough with Haas and Toro Rosso.

Although more importantly, that moustache  I wonder if he sits there all day rolling the ends with a pen hehe 

[cosworth151]

I have no problem with the idea of B teams. I loved it when Super Aguri gave Honda a run for its money using year old Honda equipment.

[Alonsofan]

To me B teams are pointless, it reminds me of being a younger sibling and getting all the crappy hand me downs.
I mean what is the point of being a Ferrari hand me down as they don't even let their second driver compete let alone a B team.

[lkjohnson1950]

Haas seem very happy to be the Ferrari B team.

[Alonsofan]

Haas seem very happy to be the Ferrari B team.

Well, I guess some people settle for second best.

[Calman]

I just don't like what "B teams" stand for in F1.   Every time it's talked about, the verbal line of "best of the rest" seems pointless.  Of course, we expect a significant gap from the front to the back of the grid, but drawing a line between these teams seems to go against everything which racing should present.

... or is it just me?

Best Regards,
Cal

[Alianora La Canta]

It does, but while F1.5 spends between a third and half of the amount spent by the top three teams, it is inevitable. The budget cap proposal does nothing about this but limit the expenditure of smaller teams.

[Jericoke]

I just don't like what "B teams" stand for in F1.   Every time it's talked about, the verbal line of "best of the rest" seems pointless.  Of course, we expect a significant gap from the front to the back of the grid, but drawing a line between these teams seems to go against everything which racing should present.

... or is it just me?

Best Regards,
Cal

You have to keep in mind that the 'B' team is created by the economics of the sport.  Haas, Minardi and Sauber simply didn't have the resources to compete with the top teams.  Rather than quit the sport entirely, they got help from teams who do have the resources to compete.

If anyone else  was interested in supporting these teams as full fledged F1 teams, then there would be no need for 'B' teams.  Instead, Red Bull and Ferrari recognize that propping up struggling teams is the ONLY way for Formula One to exist in its current format.

If we want to eliminate the B teams, we need to either find people who are willing to spend Ferrari amounts of money in the sport.  Given there aren't any, that won't work. 

The other option is to eliminate 'Ferrari amounts of money' from the sport.  The problem with that is, you risk losing Ferrari.  Half of F1 fans are probably okay with that.  Ferrari and casual fans probably aren't.

(I believe that Haas is a 'B' team out of expediency:  they've seen other teams struggle to do everything all at once and fail.  They decided to buy what they can while the develop the resources to stand on their own two feet.  They're a 'B' team because they weren't arrogant enough to assume they could enter F1 as an 'A' team, but they definitely hope to get there)

[Alonsofan]

If money was more equally split, maybe more teams could spend Ferrari amounts of money.

[lkjohnson1950]

I think the only way to eliminate B teams in the long run is to provide  an engine supplier like Cosworth, who can supply competitive engines without any favoritism. I have difficulty believing that Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault provide their customers with engines that are in all respects equal to the factory team. It is suspicious to me, that the fastest teams are the teams that manufacture the engines.

[Jericoke]

I think the only way to eliminate B teams in the long run is to provide  an engine supplier like Cosworth, who can supply competitive engines without any favoritism. I have difficulty believing that Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault provide their customers with engines that are in all respects equal to the factory team. It is suspicious to me, that the fastest teams are the teams that manufacture the engines.

I agree with you that the system we have now is rife with opportunity for cheating, and it would be absurd to assume there isn't any.

I would love for the engine supply to be be 100% independent of the constructors.  However, that throws away the history of the sport, and specifically Ferrari being engine and chassis builders since day 1.

I would rather that teams be required to build their own engines as well as chassis, though recognize that would make the sport far more expensive.  To be honest, I'm a tad surprised that Red Bull hasn't moved towards buying their own engine programme.  There are existing companies and facilities that are capable of making F1 engines that don't.

[lkjohnson1950]

I didn't mean to suggest that Ferrari couldn't build their own engines. I meant that independent teams should have an engine available to them that didn't come from a competitor. One of the most competitive eras in F1 was when Cosworth built a great engine that was available to everyone as near equally as possible.

[Jericoke]

I didn't mean to suggest that Ferrari couldn't build their own engines. I meant that independent teams should have an engine available to them that didn't come from a competitor. One of the most competitive eras in F1 was when Cosworth built a great engine that was available to everyone as near equally as possible.

So to clarify, Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari could run Merc, Renault and Ferrari engines, but no other teams could?  They would choose from Honda, Cosworth and any other supplier that wants to?

[lkjohnson1950]

In Ye Olden Tymes Ferrari and Merc would not sell their engines to anyone. If you really wanted their engine you could buy it, but there should be an independent supplier so you didn't have to sell your soul to get a suspect powerplant.