- Marussia
Marussia return with 2014 car rejected
Formula One's best chance of having a 20-car grid in 2015 has been scotched after Marussia's rivals voted against allowing the team to race a 2014 car this year.
After the team went into administration last October, its administrators have been on the hunt for a potential buyer to rescue the team and return it to the grid. Earlier this week it emerged a new group of investors, including ex-Sainsbury's boss Justin King, were serious about reviving the team, but without a 2015 car to race there was still a major hurdle to overcome.
In order to compete at the first race in Melbourne next month, Marussia would have had to race last year's car, which does not conform to the 2015 technical regulations. At a meeting of the F1 Strategy Group, the prospect of allowing Marussia to race was discussed and rejected.
"They wanted to come in with last year's car and it didn't get accepted,"F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone told The Independent. "It needed all the teams to agree and there were three or four of them that didn't agree."
As explained byESPN's Inside Line earlier this week, the three smallest teams on the current grid - Force India (which has F1 Strategy Group representation), Lotus and Sauber - will benefit from sharing Marussia's 2014 prize money if the team does not race this year. There were also serious doubts about the team's readiness for the Australian Grand Prix on March 15 as well as "compliance issues". F1's supply chain was also stung by the loss of both Marussia and Caterham last year, and with outstanding debts remaining, it is not surprising its rivals wanted concrete plans detailing Marussia's return.
"The money that they should have got gets distributed amongst the teams that are racing," Ecclestone added. "That's a pretty good reason [to vote against Marussia] I suppose."
The vote means F1 will have an 18 car grid this year before US-based team Haas joins the sport in 2016.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
