Three Car Teams

[Adam43]

The question is: Would you like to see three car teams allowed in F1?

Well this is a poll, but let's have some discussion too.

Are 3 car teams a good idea?

How would you introduce it? Should any team be allowed to have an extra car for any race? How would they score points (the driver, but not the team? the top two from the team or the two nominated drivers?)

Finally, do you think three car teams will be introduced? And if so when?

So one poll, but much to discuss.

FWIW I would like to see it. Especially if it gave some other drivers a chance even if it was a one off. There aren't enough cars (and driver opportunities) on the grid at the moment. Most of us are missing someone that we think should be giving a chance.

How to do it? Tricky. I feel only two cars from a team should score points (in the constructors). I'm not sure if this should just be the top two or the two nominated. I feel the third driver should be allowed his points.

Will it happen. I'm not sure it will, although I base this on nothing whatsoever! However if we lose more teams...

[GasMan]

The idea is interesting but financially I don't think it'd work. Personally, I'd like to see it stick to being two car teams with maybe a few extra teams and more equal performance across the teams such like that found in the BTCC in the 2002 season and the seasons between 1996 and 1999. I feel that a team of two drivers would be more cohesive and communicative. As you say, two's company.

[ss_collins]

I think if the grid drops below a certain number then the top teams are obliged to run third cars. As far as I know the grid has dropped below that number - perhaps thats why massa is so confident he will get a race seat in 2002, a third ferrari? one guesses a F2002 all year...

[Evilsenna]

I wouldn't like 3 car teams, Imagine a Ferrari podium...

[Liz]

No way. Imagine TWO cars blocking for TGF!

Seriously, though, most teams can barely afford to run two cars. If your mission is to break the back of F1, requiring everyone to run 3 cars is the way to do it.

[Jay]

I never really understood why there should be any rules about how many cars a team is allowed to have. I say, if a team can only afford to field one car, then it should be allowed to race. Likewise, if a team wants to field 4 cars, that should be allowed too.

[neilap]

If one team was not so dominant I would like it but to have three of any car on the podium would not make the racing interesting.

[Lee Janotta]

I still stand by my idea of allowing teams who can afford it to run a third car during 4 races in the year.

[racer69]

I'd say no to 3 car teams for the moment. Some teams are just getting by getting 2 cars out there.

If they do come in, they shouldn't be compulsory, and 3 should be the limit, imagine if we got a situation where Ferrari turns up with 4 or 5 cars (like BRM did in 1972)

[f1manoz]

No, there is no need.

Plus some teams can barely afford to run at the moment as it is.

The only teams who could realistically afford 3 cars are Ferrari, McLaren and Williams, and there goes the point of having points for 8 finishers!

[wreckless]

well we might as well have 4 ferrari's fighting than 2

[Stephen Green]

Lets look at this from another perspective.

If Formula 1 is serious about making the series more of a spectacle, then it would make sence to allow teams to run three cars. I would go as far as suggesting they were to encourage teams to run three cars. Quite how the points would be sorted out would be a matter for the FIA and FOCA to decide amongst themselves.

Most circuits have a licence to start around 30 or more open wheel cars so that side shouldn't pose a problem. Imagine seeing 30+ F1 cars racing at the same time, it HAS to be better than the current 20 cars surely?

[Valve Bounce]

Only if a driver from the country of the circuit drives the third car. Viz. for the British GP, only a Brit can drive the third car, for the Japanese GP only a Japanese driver, and for the Chinese GP, only a Chinese driver.

[Liz]

You'd have to change the Constructors Championship or get rid of it if you allow unlimited entries. Or Ferrari (for example) would have it locked up after three races, as they would have five or six cars and the other teams only 1 or 2.

The other thing you'd have to do would be to make very sure that there were absolutely no team orders, as five Ferraris blocking for TGF would cause everyone to lose interest even faster than they do now.

I just think they ought to find ways to diversify the grid, not make it even more boring than it already is.

[Total-F1]

They could have a guest driver like in the Porsche Supercup.

"Murray makes British GP comeback"

[ASCII Man]

Originally posted by racer69
... imagine if we got a situation where Ferrari turns up with 4 or 5 cars (like BRM did in 1972)

Ferrari used to have 3-4 cars too in the sixties i believe... (Amon, Bandini, etc...)

[NME]

YES to 3-car teams.

The first 5 in the teams standings would have to have a 3rd car for junior drivers only the year after.

Give the INT F3000, EURO 3000, UK F3, German F3 and SuperNissan V6 champs one seat in a top team ! 1-year contract. If the kid is good he will have the chance in F1.

[JohnSSC]

Congratulations Liz for being two for two on your posts mentioning Ferrari blocking for Michael!

I will nip back to the thread which was, as I recall, about 3 car teams or some such. If a team can do it, than why not three? Top two finishers count toward Constructors Championship. It should not be required though. Not even sure why two cars are required. Would not life be a bit easier (albeit less productive data-wise) for the Minardis/Arrows of the world if they could run one car? Might encourage other entrants as well.

Given the costs, a four car or more team would be a lot unrealistic. Remember you will need a pit crew, mechanics, lawyers to negotiate contracts specifying finishing order and who gets to be first in the buffet line at lunch, caterers, groupies, transporters, publicists etc. Plus there would be massive confusion for the celebrities - "whose car should I stand by for maximum exposure?"

[Liz]

Well, if someone is "Champion" because he's got the best contract specifying that he's No. 1 with a bullet, then the more cars on the team, the better it is for him. This would be for anybody who found himself in the best car on the grid with the same contract, no matter who he drove for. And it's a rotten shame that things have come to such a pass in F1, but they have, and pretending they haven't is what got us where we are today.

NO to teams of more than 2 cars, AND to contracts specifying in which order those cars finish races.

[JohnSSC]

Liz: "Show me the contract!"

You can't. You have never seen it, and even in the unlikely chance that it exists, you would have no access to it.

Michael is "Champion" because he is currently the best driver, with the best team with the best car on the grid. Team orders at Ferrari do not extend to Williams or McLaren. I guess somewhere there exists a "contract" preventing a Williams or McLaren from passing a Ferrari.

Oh yeah, that makes you three for three in this thread, which was supposed to be about polling forum members preference on three car teams.

Show me the contract or please stop mentioning it.

[RT]

Originally posted by Liz
Well, if someone is "Champion" because he's got the best contract specifying that he's No. 1 with a bullet, then the more cars on the team, the better it is for him. This would be for anybody who found himself in the best car on the grid with the same contract, no matter who he drove for. And it's a rotten shame that things have come to such a pass in F1, but they have, and pretending they haven't is what got us where we are today.

NO to teams of more than 2 cars, AND to contracts specifying in which order those cars finish races.

I would add to that that there might be a possibility that two cars would be blocking for Schumacher.

Cheers

[EERO]

I'm in favor, though I don't think they should be mandatory. If Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams want to run third cars, then great. But Sauber and Jordan probably couldn't swing it but BAR and Jaguar SHOULDN'T.

I recall very clearly how a young driver might get his first shot at the Big Time in a one off ride in a third car. In the early 70's, Ferrari ran their best team ever, Ickx and Reggazoni with Andretti at selected races.

Revson, Scheckter, Hailwood, Depailler, Villeneuve, and Tambay all got their starts in one off third drives.

I say bring it on! And with the likely de,mise of Minardi and Arrows, we need third cars on the Grid. I'd rather see third drivers in races than rattling around at Catalunya.

[Number Juan]

it would be smashing to have 3 car teams, 2 would be bestest friends - and you would get the "black sheep" always instigating a little trouble on the track which i'd love

theres too much pussy-footing around on the track nowadays, we need some inexperienced drivers to really knock people off the track and go all gun-ho on us, like JPM is today...

[JonesF1]

Lee and VB sumed it up nicely. A 3rd car every now and then with a local driver. Wasnt this allowed at one time?

[Yoong Montoya]

Why not just allow teams to run between 1 and 3 cars? It might be unequal, but small teams like Minardi could just have one car, and bigger teams like Ferrari could have 3. I know the idea of 3 Ferraris is unappealing if they dominate like this year, but you get my idea.