Formula One Still the Place to be, Says Mosley

Formula One is still the place to be for the car manufacturers despite the fact that Grand Prix victories belong to a few number of teams, according to FIA president Max Mosley.

Some team bosses like Minardi's Paul Stoddart have recently warned of the difficult situation that Formula One could face as a result of the economic recession in a sport where, according to Stoddart, no team should try to compete with a budget of less than $100 million.

"I think Formula One is a business first and a sport second," said Stoddart recently. "Unfortunately, to go racing you have to look at the budget side and I think teams will be squeezed out. We have to remember that there can't be 24 winners and I'm worried that one day some of the top teams will find themselves at the back of the grid. I'm hoping sanity will prevail."

But Mosley claimed that the arrival of Toyota as 12th team - if the Prost squad can secure a new backer to bring the team out of the receivership they went into last November - proves Formula One is not in the doldrums and claimed the sport is still the place to be.

"Manufacturers have come in, but they can't all win," Mosley said. "In the past teams would pull out if they didn't win and that was not good for Formula One. That is not the case now. They realise that just to be there is a good thing.

"The perfect example is Toyota, who know they are in for a challenging time, but for them Formula One is the place to be."