As Formula 1 boasts its biggest grid this weekend since the 1995 Pacific Grand Prix, Dieter Rencken assesses the chances of surviving the year for the sport's new batch of independents

Forget the distinctly non-PC humour surrounding the mystical powers of the lotus flower, virgins and HRT, the arrival on the grid of this trio of new teams bearing such names is certainly serious business. The team principals behind all three operations have staked not only their reputations on their survival, but a large portion of their fortunes, too.

In fact, a case could be made that Formula 1's future hinges on these teams, the first to come into the sport as start-ups since Toyota in 2002 – and we now know the Japanese giant threw around £3bn at Formula 1 between deciding to proceed, in 1999, and withdrawing at the end of 2009 without scoring a single victory.

To continue reading this feature...

You must have an AUTOSPORT subscription. Prices start from just $1.43 per week and give you full unrestriced access to all PLUS features. View package options? Magazine subscriber?

Online subscription

from just

$1.43

per week

• Unrestricted access to all PLUS features
• View website in ad-free environment
• Full F1 stats since 1950 in FORIX

View all package options