"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..."
Thus opens A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens's classic novel in which peasants were hounded by aristocracy, ahead of the French Revolution. Substitute 'teams' for 'cities' - Red Bull Racing and Lotus, specifically - 'aristocracy' with Formula 1's commercial masters and 'peasants' with fans, and those wise words apply as readily to 21st century Formula 1 as to revolutionary Europe 200-plus years ago.
Those two teams have, of course, dominated the output of the rumour mill during the two grands prix just past. Both face uncertain futures that are very much the by-products of management decisions. Indeed, their possible demise could precipitate a collapse of the entire ecosystem in which they survive, and once thrived.