Fry - Manufacturers should be focus

Fry: real mission

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Nick Fry has urged Formula One to focus its attention on enticing car manufacturers into the sport, the Honda team's CEO saying current cost levels leave independents struggling to survive.

The demise of Honda-backed Super Aguri prior to the Turkish Grand Prix leaves just ten teams in this year's Championship, four of which have no manufacturer backing: Williams, Force India, Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

The latter's position on the grid could potentially be in jeopardy in the long term after Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz announced that he wants to sell his share in the team ahead of the 2010 season.

Mateschitz is selling because rule changes coming into effect in two years' time will leave Toro Rosso unable to use chassis manufactured by Red Bull Technology - meaning the Italian team will have instead to take the more expensive option of designing their own car.

Should the sale not go ahead it could mean the F1 grid might drop to just nine teams.

Mission

However, citing the examples of the Arrows and Prost teams - who fell by the wayside at the start of the decade - Fry believes the sport should instead focus on attracting manufacturers into the sport rather than privateers who might struggle to attract backing, particularly during an economic downturn.

"The first question to answer is, 'Is F1 any place for a not-very-well funded privateer team?'" Fry told Autosport.

"In this sport, there is a history of teams working at the margins that invariably fall off the bottom, and I think it will ever be so.

"The real mission for F1 is to attract a Volkswagen, an Audi or another big consumer business into the sport and not attempt to bring in more privateers, who may end up in the same position as teams like Arrows and Prost.

"Privateer teams enter on the basis that they can afford the first season - but invariably can't generate the revenue to continue into their second or third years.

"If you can't afford to compete, you shouldn't be here."