Despite the air of pessimism hanging over the paddock following
Super Aguri's disappearance, and the destruction of the customer car proposals that could have attracted a replacement,
Toyota team boss John Howett reckoned that Formula One could still see new blood coming in in the future.
After struggling through the first four races of the season with little in the way of finance, SA
F1 boss Aguri Suzuki finally called time on his Formula One operation but, despite admitting that Formula One had become as competitive off the track as it was becoming on it, Howett remained optimistic about the future.
"I think, if you look at tracks, I guess demand for grands prix is higher than supply," he reasoned, "We're seeing a lot of countries, if you like, bidding for it and, although economic hardship prevails for Western Europe, we still have to say that India is a booming market, China is a booming market. Russia is growing also - for us, it's the biggest market now in Europe - and I foresee that, from these countries, where there is very strong economic strength, there is the potential for teams to enter
Formula One.
"It is technically challenging, and it probably also depends on what those backers or potential entries perceive as Formula One and the benefit it can offer, but I believe there could be companies, very significantly resourced companies, interested to join - and, potentially, other new developing manufacturers."
While Mercedes' Norbert Haug was a little more reticent to predict an influx in future,
Honda's Ross Brawn admitted to sharing Howett's views.
