So Honda are gone. Farewell to all that. And in an in no way blatant attempt to get people to read their websites, F1 news sources left, right and centre have been jumping over themselves to predict the next team to pull out in this latest unfolding "crisis", the worst the sport has seen since 2004, when Sauber, Jordan and Minardi all gave up and everyone was predicting a seven team, three car per team grid. And perhaps one of Toyota, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, BMW or Williams will follow the Japanese marque out of the sport. Or will they? Here are Patty's DANGER ratings for the remaining teams.
Ferrari
The Italian marque has been quick to point out that they are in control of their finances in a way that Honda clearly weren't for 2009. Despite that being reports as "ZOMG FERRARI CUTTING EXPENSES" in some places, essentially they're taking a cleverly pragmatic approach to the economic situation, to ensure their long-term future in the sport. After all, with city bankers being sacked by the bucketload, that's a few less smarmy gimps wanting to get their hands on a 360 at the moment.
ALERT LEVEL: Low
McLaren
A team seemingly unaffected by the news. But then, if there was ever a man thinking sixteen years down the line, it is Ron Dennis. He's probably too busy buying karting equipment for the 2019 world champion to be fussed about a financial crisis. Backing from Mercedes seems pretty solid, and with only a minority stake left in Chrysler (which is probably going arse over tit along with the rest of the US automotive industry), a hassle-free future is on the cards. The ever-present sceptre of spec-engines may threaten Mercedes commitment, but old Ronald and McLaren would probably still turn up to race if they were preparing three year old silver coloured Formula Fords as part of the FIA's need to cut costs.
ALERT LEVEL: Low
BMW
Already the lowest-spending manufacturer on the grid (according to figures released recently), BMW Sauber should have all the dour German efficiency required to cope with the current crisis. Undoubtedly the success of last season will help the company to be convinced of the potential gains of F1, and the team was one of the first to get a dummy 09 spec car on track. Plus so long as Mercedes stick around, they have a bitter rival with which to wish a bloody nose on.
ALERT LEVEL: Guarded
Renault
A team that has been linked to withdrawal from the sport a few times in recent years, and certainly after the last couple of wayward years, there is a sense that Renault HQ isn't too fussed either way whether the F1 side of their business has a long-term future. But after the late-season wins, Alonso's commitment (in a sort of uncommitted way) and crucially the fact that anyone wanting to pull the plug would have to get past Flavio Briatore first, the short-term future seems brighter than most.
ALERT LEVEL: Guarded
Toyota
Though some cynics (not us) would say that nobody would notice whether Toyota were there in 09 or not, they are certainly one of the teams now being most eagerly poked for a response by the crisis-hungry media. Certainly they have lost their main rivals in the sport with Honda packing up their toys and running back to Japan, but then as rivalries go, it has been largely academic for the last couple of years. True, the almost perversely outlandish current Toyota F1 budget is likely to be cut down to size, but the short-term plans of the team seem committed at least.
ALERT LEVEL: Elevated
Red Bull
A slightly difficult team to read, seeing as their ultimate boss is not a motor racing man or a car maker, but a fizzy pop producer, but there seems little evidence that Red Bull's future in the sport is set to be curtailed. Although reports in certain places have stressed that the team may be contemplating giving up, the Webber/Vettel dream team for 2009 is evidence enough that they are happy to toddle on for another few years at least.
ALERT LEVEL: Low
Toro Rosso
Recently came back under 100% control of Red Bull, after Gerhard Berger kept his big bag of money tucked up under his pillow. While ostensibly a good thing, proving the depths of RBR's pockets, the sole control will make the potential sale mooted last year easier to carry out. Essentially, the future of STR the team lies with the off again on again spec chassis grumble. If they are properly outlawed, the team will be gone. At least so long as someone can be found to buy it. But then, who would want to buy a team that, once you remove the Ferrari engines and the Red Bull chassis is, effectively, nothing?
ALERT LEVEL: High
Williams
A team that has been there, done that through any number of financial crises should be fairly comfortable. There have been some whispers surrounding the team's future lately, but few with much substance. The team confirmed recently that the 2009 budget is almost sorted, which infers that the cheque from Nakas didn't bounce. Remaining stoically independent during the excesses of the manufacturer era should stand Williams in good stead to ride out the storm, and they may well be one of the teams to benefit as the big guns dither.
ALERT LEVEL: Low
Force India
Surprisingly, the smallest team on the grid seems to be issue-free, despite being put on the market more times than an Eastenders extra in recent years. Vijay Mallya remains committed to the sport, the new Mercedes linkup even having him somewhat wistfully claiming the team would be challenging for wins in 2010. I guess if there's only 6 cars left by that point, he may well be right. Either way, an Indian team with few sponsor issues and the knowledge that F1 will increasingly seek the treasures of the East to balance the books with the bankrupt West means Findia should be around for a good long while. Certainly longer than Spyker.
ALERT LEVEL: Low
TAFKAHonda
Honda may be gone, but there's still a shell of a team left for someone to nurse back to health. Ross Brawn is confident a buyer will be found and the team claims to already be cavorting with potential suitors like a recent divorcee giddy on cheap champagne at a speed dating session. Despite all that though, there's no guarantee that any of these suitors really will back up their come-ons with long term commitment, and the team runs the risk of being wooed and led on before waking up a week before Melbourne with a hangover, an empty space next to them in bed, and a deep sense of self-loathing. Or something.
ALERT LEVEL: Severe
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