Renault worried about F1 ’B teams’

Renault is worried about the rise of ’B teams’ in formula one.

We reported that Williams, McLaren and Renault are opposing the straightforward transfer of income and rights to Force India’s next owners.

In the case of Renault, it appears boss Cyril Abiteboul is concerned that Force India will become a Mercedes ’B team’, along the lines of Haas-Ferrari and Sauber-Ferrari.

"This is not the formula one we like," the Frenchman admitted.

"We are slightly concerned that this approach will deprive anyone who does not enjoy the advantages of such a scheme."

"We need to ensure that it will not become a necessary condition for performance in formula one, otherwise our model will not work," Abiteboul added.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he understands Renault’s concerns.

"I understand that if large teams start buying small teams, this is a question and I certainly respect this point of view for the future," he said.

"I hope we can discuss everything so that small teams can benefit from common infrastructure but at the same time not get the advantage that is currently possible," said Wolff.