Hanging on to the bottom end

How exactly do you explain to a layperson the dogged insistence of a tail-end Formula 1 team not taking the ‘easy’ way to go racing on motor sport’s biggest stage?

Caterham F1 team principal Tony Fernandes has been among the most vocal critics of a persistent proposal for the financially less ‘have-not’ teams to use ‘customer’ cars provided to them by ‘haves’ like Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. In fact as the F1 season ends, a proposal for eight three car teams is being looked at to ensure a grid where the disparity between the front of the gird and rear is not so great.

Despite knowing that his organization will at least lose a certain amount of money every season – even top end teams tend to use their budget entirely – team principal like Marussia F1’s John Booth is adamant that he wants Marussia to be involved as a constructor rather than a ‘customer’.

“The idea of customer cars is something the smaller teams object to because that’s not what we came to F1 to do,” Booth told autoX in the Marussia team building with considerably less activity than those at the opposite end of the Buddh International Circuit paddock.

“Say we bought a Red Bull car,” Booth continued. “We still wouldn’t be able to win because we would be at least two stages of development behind.”

Rather than be penalized for wanting to go it alone, Booth believes he speaks for other tail-enders like Caterham in wanting to see a more equitable revenue sharing model.

“It would be much better to take the NFL (American football) model for instance where every team has equal equity in the championship,” said Booth. “It makes for a very competitive sport but at the moment it does not exist in F1.”

Nor is it likely to should Bernie Ecclestone and his preferred successor Christian Horner have their way.