Marussia’s bid to join the grid in March for the Formula 1 season opener in a 2014 chassis was denied and while some teams voted against Marussia, they then became the beneficiaries of a portion of the team’s prize money worth £34m in total.
On the surface you could suggest that smaller teams were merely being draconian and saw dollar signs over the thought of helping a peer out but Force India’s Bob Fernley says that isn’t the case telling AUTOSPORT:
“The strategy group was faced with an application for Marussia’s 2014 cars to compete in the 2015 championship,” said Fernley.
“During the meeting it emerged that there were compliance issues and that the application lacked substance.
“Equally, the speculative application submitted contained no supporting documentation to reinforce the case for offering special dispensation.
“For example, no details were supplied of who the new owners would be or the operational structures that would be put in place.
“Given the lack of information, uncertain guarantees, and the speculative nature of the application, the decision was taken that it is better to focus on ensuring the continued participation of the remaining independent teams.”
As we mentioned before, there seemed to be more in the decision than a simple cash grab and perhaps Marrusia’s request didn’t tick all the boxes giving the teams a comfort level that the struggling team had serious financial backing and leadership to compete for the whole season.
Any hope of Marussia running in 2015 will be down to its potential investors and how fast the team can create a new car in which to compete. Teams are allowed to miss up to three races in a season and this would put Marussia’s deadline at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Hat Tip: AUTOSPORT
