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Kolles: Independents have a future in F1

The demise of the Super Aguri team in Formula One had more to do with a poor business model than a warning sign that independent teams can no longer survive in the sport

That is the view of Force India team principal Colin Kolles, who is adamant that competing in F1 makes perfect sense for non-manufacturer teams like his own - as long as they are well run.

Speaking to autosport.com, Kolles said he had no doubts that independent outfits had a future in grand prix racing.

"Definitely," he said. "If they have the right business model, yes. We have shown in the past, as Jordan Grand Prix changed to Midland, from Midland to Spyker and Spyker to Force India, that you can find investors and shareholders if you have the right business model, a clean (balance) sheet and you have a clean company."

Kolles believes it is up to the small teams to ensure that they do not overstretch themselves when trying to compete against the big money outfits.

"It is more difficult to get sponsorship, but there are certain future measures in place to reduce the costs," he explained. "But at the end of the day, each team is responsible for its costs, and you have to manage your team in a cost-efficient way.

"When Midland took over Jordan, I was criticised (for cutting costs) and everyone was telling me I was wrong. But the only purpose was to survive, and to do the best out of what you have.

"This (Super Aguri) is for me the best example of how it can go wrong. When you are so small and you try and grab the stars straight away it does not work. You have to do it step-by-step."

Kolles believes that future moves to introduce a budget cap in F1 will actually prove a benefit to small teams like Force India, even if it will not actually save them work.

"We will still be working below the budget cap, so for us the only advantage out of the budget cap is that the other teams will have to learn to work with the same level of budget that we are working with.

"So we are in favour of cost reduction and budget caps because it will make the others see how it is to work with lower budgets. I think the others will have to learn a lot of things.

"We have a very tight and efficient ship and I think that our future, the team's future, is very bright because we have made the right decisions.

"We are a constructor, we are independent, we have strong partners because we have a clean company, and we have a good business plan. It is a proper structure."

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