Williams sold

F1 has become too expensive for anyone other than a manufacturer or the mega rich so I suppose this was inevitable. It's a great shame to see such a revered name disappearing because I doubt the name will be retained when an American venture capital firm is involved. I also fail to see what it is that attracts a venture capital firm to F1. It isn't that far removed from buying a football club!

For me, the real downfall of Williams came when they parted ways with BMW. Williams lost the cash that kept pouring in from Bavaria, had to settle for the inferior Cosworth V8 and from 2006 onwards, it’s been a struggle for them with various different engine suppliers, they lost factory status and its scarred them ever since. I think some personnel moves haven’t been handled well either. Paddy Lowe should have been Team Principal when they had the chance to hire him.

Williams are not entirely to blame. Since 2014 the powertrain has been an arms race. And because its been an arms race, the cost of leasing the hybrid powertrains has risen substantially compared to what the V8’s cost. One might argue that the current units have a lot more technology and efficiency. But if you’re a privateer, you just want an engine that works. Road relevance isn’t important to the teams that just race. To go forwards you sometimes need to go backwards. In the past nobody cared whether there was one car manufacturer competing or four. Now apparently, F1 is only credible if it has multiple car manufacturers.

This is the only time in the sports history where independent engine builders haven’t been present. The only reason why the cost gap might work is because the units will be homologated, and the development opportunities are drying up. The real acid test will be the next powertrain. Will it be a free for all again, or will the level of technology and development be limited so that independent unit suppliers can feasibly supply teams again? Jean Todt still thinks that all FIA motorsport needs to do whatever the car industry does, which is the wrong direction in terms of economic sustainability for teams and spectacle for viewers.

A good example is the old KERS-assisted V8’s. The KERS system on the Mercedes was developed by Zytek. They could afford to develop something to that level of technology. Zytek have actually developed an ERS system, but they simply wouldn't be able to produce what the F1 technical regulations require. I would argue that the current powertrain regulations were squarely aimed at car manufacturers, but apart from Honda, nobody new has entered.

Yes, and with some countries such as the UK trying to outlaw petrol engines, where is the incentive for any manufacturer to develop a new power train that still has to use a high-revving multi-cylinder petrol engine in conjunction with other expensive energy-recovery and storage systems?