Near the end of the 2014 season, we saw the Caterham and Marussia teams withdraw from Formula One. It was announced during the winter period, that Caterham will not be returning and that the team’s assets are currently in the process of being auctioned, in an attempt to pay off their existing debt. It appeared as though Marussia would suffer a similar fate, as an auction of Marussia assets began. However, rumors emerged about a mystery investor who was planning to purchase the bankrupt team. Fans were filled with even more hope, as the team’s social media accounts displayed a profile picture stating “Get Ready”. In the recent weeks, it has pretty much been confirmed that the team is making an effort to make the 2015 grid, as they requested to be allowed to use the 2014 car in the upcoming season and reportedly paid the 2015 entry fee.
There were mixed feelings amongst the current teams: All of the teams voted to allow the use of the 2014 car, but Force India did not. Since the vote is required to be unanimous, Marussia cannot use the 2014 car. However, the team is reportedly working on a 2015 car in an unknown team factory. Personally, I would have allowed the team to race their previous car. There is no way that they would have any advantage by doing so, considering the team has spent the majority of their existence at the rear of the field. However, I find the return of the team extremely pointless.
First, as I stated above, the team is a back marker. They have spent their time just struggling to remain on the lead lap and in the race, with little success beyond that. The highlight of their career was at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix where Jules Bianchi earned the team’s first career points. This brought in a large amount of additional funds for the team. Despite this new money to spend, the team still ran out. This is a testament to the financial crisis that the team was faced with.
This brings me to my next point: the horrific financial structure of the sport as a whole. As of right now, the way that the funds are divided is appallingly uneven. In 2014, it was divided in a way that Marussia didn’t even make enough money to maintain a sustainable team. The finances of the sport haven’t changed very much from the 2014 season, so the return of Marussia would be utterly pointless. The team would just collapse again in the near future, not to mention the issues it would cause to other teams that are struggling right now.
It is no secret that Force India is in a financial slump of its own and Sauber expressed their financial concerns last year. Adding another team would mean that there is one more team to split the funds with. This would cut down on the amount of money that the rest of the teams would get; potentially pushing a struggling team off of the cliff and into the dark pit of bankruptcy. This is probably why Force India was the only team to vote against the return of Marussia.
I am deeply sympathetic to all of the employees of Marussia that have found themselves without a job. I would fully support the recovery of the team, if it were possible. However, there is not enough time to even get the team ready for the first race in Australia. Having Marussia return would not attract additional sponsorship to Formula One. It would not raise viewership. It would not attract new teams to the sport. And most importantly, it would not last.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in any analysis contained within this article are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.
