3-Car Teams Not Needed, According to Dennis

McLaren boss Ron Dennis on Saturday said that he doubted Formula One would need to introduce a rule to allow teams to compete with three cars at each Grand Prix.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggested this month the rule could be introduced as early as next year in order to have a 22-car grid amid fears that some struggling outfits like Minardi or Arrows could disappear from the sport before 2003.

After confirming his team's line-up for the upcoming season, Dennis said on Friday that the re-signing of his three drivers - Kimi Raikkonen, David Coulthard and Alex Wurz - was part of his plan to maintain stability within the team in case they will have to run three cars in a near future.

But on Saturday, the Briton said that he was confident such radical solution would not be necessary as he believes the smaller teams will survive the economic recession.

"I'm very pleased to say that I think that F1 is starting to stabilise," Dennis said. "I'm optimistic - from the knowledge that I have - that there is a strong possibility that one or both of the two teams that tend to be in problems are going to survive in one form or another.

"I think there are some economic indicators that markets are going to stabilise, and the first thing that happens in such times is that advertising budgets are reinstated, so I think that F1 is on course to a normal economy.

"So the number of teams is going to stay pretty much the same, so I doubt we're going to see a need for three cars per team."