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LONDON, England - Formula 1 stragglers should consider moving over for the next generation of teams if they cannot afford to be in the sport, said Dietrich Mateschitz, who owns two F1 teams, one of them dominant Red Bull.
It's believed many F1 teams are struggling financially, notably Lotus and Sauber. Swiss newspaper Blick reports that Force India could lose the crucial backing of the Sahara Group, and if Pastor Maldonado leaves Williams, he could take R552-million in annual backing with him.
'IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT...'
Sauber, meanwhile, seems to have solved its recent crisis with a Russian rescue deal and Sergey Sirotkin as a driver but that deal is rumoured to have collapsed. Blick correspondent Roger Benoit said the survival of Sauber might now rest on rumours of backers from Dubai.
Years ago, Minardi team owner Paul Stoddart complained loudly about the costs in F1, earning him a stinging rebuke from McLaren's Ron Dennis: "This is a tough, competitive sport and if you can't take the heat get out the bloody kitchen. F1 has a place for everybody but we do not have a soup kitchen."
Red Bull's Mateschitz has now issued a similar smack against those pleading with the sport's authorities about their financial problems: "If there are financial problems, they can be solved only through financial means."
Mateschitz was referring to private funding and sponsors, rather than cost-cutting or restrictive regulations.
Mateschitz said: "If a team is unable to resolve the problem it should question its commitment (to F1). There may be others who are interested in their licence."
It's believed many F1 teams are struggling financially, notably Lotus and Sauber. Swiss newspaper Blick reports that Force India could lose the crucial backing of the Sahara Group, and if Pastor Maldonado leaves Williams, he could take R552-million in annual backing with him.
'IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT...'
Sauber, meanwhile, seems to have solved its recent crisis with a Russian rescue deal and Sergey Sirotkin as a driver but that deal is rumoured to have collapsed. Blick correspondent Roger Benoit said the survival of Sauber might now rest on rumours of backers from Dubai.
Years ago, Minardi team owner Paul Stoddart complained loudly about the costs in F1, earning him a stinging rebuke from McLaren's Ron Dennis: "This is a tough, competitive sport and if you can't take the heat get out the bloody kitchen. F1 has a place for everybody but we do not have a soup kitchen."
Red Bull's Mateschitz has now issued a similar smack against those pleading with the sport's authorities about their financial problems: "If there are financial problems, they can be solved only through financial means."
Mateschitz was referring to private funding and sponsors, rather than cost-cutting or restrictive regulations.
Mateschitz said: "If a team is unable to resolve the problem it should question its commitment (to F1). There may be others who are interested in their licence."
