1 Who runs the sport?
Sadly, no one. It careers along like a 200mph racing car with no driver and the consequences are obvious. Bernie Ecclestone, 84, seemed powerless to head off a crisis that had been coming for more than two years. The FIA president Jean Todt was no better. Samuel Beckett’s two-act masterpiece Waiting for Godot was once reviewed as a play in which nothing happens – twice. Waiting for Ecclestone and Todt to do something felt much the same.
2 Will Jules Bianchi get better?
The recent progress reported to have been made by the Marussia driver following his high-speed crash in the Japanese Grand Prix on 5 October does not change the fact that his life hangs by a thread. He could still become the first driver to die following a crash since Ayrton Senna 20 years ago, and that would plunge the sport into a new frenzy of soul searching.
3 Who will drive for McLaren alongside Fernando Alonso next season?
Chief executive Ron Dennis’s inability to choose between Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen explains why one of the biggest teams in Formula One were fighting little Force India for fifth place in the constructors’ championship this season. And it has undermined much of the good work done by the new racing director Eric Boullier, who is a vast improvement on the fine-talk-but-no-action style of Martin Whitmarsh. New engine suppliers Honda will be hoping for better leadership in 2015.
4 What will become of Caterham?
Their skeleton staff pushed two cars on to the grid on Sunday afternoon after a crowd-funding exercise raised most of the £2.35m they were looking for in the short term. But despite all the optimistic words from Finbarr O’Connell, who represents the administrators Smith & Williamson, no potential buyer has yet signed a cheque and the future of their 230-strong staff, who were made redundant last Friday, still looks uncertain. Caterham and Marussia both went into administration last month.
5 What will become of Force India, Sauber and Lotus?
The future of these three teams remains in doubt after their talks with Ecclestone in the US and Brazil recently resolved nothing. They weren’t begging for more money – just a more equitable distribution of funds instead of a system designed to encourage the stronger teams to get stronger. These three outfits were so angry they even discussed boycotting the race in Austin.
6 What about the future of CVC as the main shareholders in Formula One?
This private equity company makes a fortune out of Formula One but does not reinvest any of its profits. Some directors are keen to sell up. But co-founder and co-chairman Donald Mackenzie seems reluctant to move on.
7 Will we see customer cars?
This issue won’t go away. Most of the smaller teams are convinced that Formula One is moving towards customer cars, even though that would undermine the very essence of the sport, with a number of constructors going out of business and the bigger teams providing all the cars. Fewer players would make the sport easier to control for CVC and Ecclestone, and whoever replaces them in the near future. But Formula One’s DNA would have been destroyed.
8 Will there be agreement over engines?
Talks about changing the rules to allow a degree of in-season engine development collapsed during the last race weekend in Brazil. Unanimity is needed for this to happen, but a straight majority will suffice in 2016. But, along with the failure to reach agreement on cost-capping, this is a sign of a wider malaise: the teams’ inability to work together in an extremely selfish sport. In the past some have argued that the teams should get together to run the sport. But it would never work.
9 What is the future for Ferrari?
It is not only Italy’s adoring tifosi which wants to see the red car back at the top of Formula One. This is the sport’s biggest and most glamorous player and they have been away for too long. Getting rid of the best all-round driver, Fernando Alonso, may not look like a good move, though the team of the prancing horse did need a fresh direction after years of underachievement. But can the highly rated British designer James Allison produce a winning car for 2015?
10 Will anyone keep watching?
Formula One must decide who it is trying to appeal to as crowds and sponsors decline along with the TV viewing figures. The sport relies on the media and sponsors to promote it and has not come to terms with social media. Ecclestone’s observation that Formula One would prefer to cater for rich over-70s than pursue a younger generation hardly helped – and he’s the promoter.
