10 teams is plenty for F1

Next season it's beginning to look increasingly likely that there will be eleven teams in the Formula One paddock.

There appears to be no way of saving the HRT team after they went into liquidation. After not paying their 2013 entrance fee ahead of last month's deadline.

The team had been put up for sale prior to the curtain falling on the 2012 Formula One World Championship, but all hope now appears lost and the teams demise just a matter of time.

Could their be a last minute twist to save the team? 'I wouldn't think that anyone would want to,' Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters news agency as quoted by Autosport Magazine.

Not exactly a sympathetic response from the Formula One boss, but then he never has been towards the newbie teams in F1.

In 2010, HRT, then known as Hispania entered Formula One alongside the Lotus [now Caterham] and Virgin [now Marussia] teams.

They've all battled hard to close the gap on the more established teams, but to-date, not one single Formula One World Championship point has been scored by any of the newer teams.

Their lack of competitiveness once led Ecclestone to label them 'cripples', but then he never wanted the new teams in F1 in the first place.

'I'd rather have ten, I never wanted twelve.' he said before adding 'It's just that ten is easier to handle, for the promoters, for transport. We'd rather have ten...so long as we don't lose Ferrari.'

Nice to be wanted huh Caterham and Marussia??