Theories have been developed in the motor racing world that Formula One could forfeit its hundred year rights to the series. With two teams getting into difficulties, it seems possible that the number of cars could fall below that level.

Reasonable endeavours

However, Jonathan Lux, a leading motor racing specialist based at Stone Chambers, told Autoweek magazine that the contracts do not contain an 'absolute obligation on F1 to ensure a threshold of 16 cars'. They speak instead of needing to make 'an attempt to procure' that number. Similarly, Charles Braithwaite, a media and sports partner at Collyer Bristow, said that 'the obligation on F1 to ‘use its reasonable endeavours to ensure…that at least sixteen cars’ race in the Grand Prix is not hard and fast'. Had F1 been in breach, some commentators had presumed that F1 and its boss Bernie Ecclestone would have to hand back the commercial rights to the regulator. Source: Forbes