McLaren driver Fernando Alonso believes 20 cars in Formula 1 is “enough,” following the reduction in entries in the wake of Manor’s exit from the sport.
The number of participants in Formula 1 has varied across the championship’s history, with entries this century peaking from 2010-12, when 12 teams competed.
The exit of HRT, Caterham and Marussia briefly reduced the field to 18 drivers for a couple of rounds in 2014, before the revival of the rebranded Manor Marussia outfit raised numbers to 20 for 2015.
Haas’ entry in the sport last year meant 22 drivers featured at every round, but Manor’s demise over the winter means 10 teams, each fielding two drivers, will be present this season.
“Yes, enough,” Alonso said when asked if a grid of 20 cars was sufficient, ahead of this weekend’s season-opener in Australia.
“Obviously, it’s nice to have many cars on track and many teams in Formula 1 but at the same point it’s a sport that’s quite difficult to get in, quite difficult to stay for many years.
“We see with some of the smaller teams how they struggle to keep their financial situation healthy in the year.
“I think to have a good ten teams and 20 cars on track is more or less the number that we see in Formula 1 for many years. I think it’s OK.”
Alonso made his Formula 1 debut with the backmarker Minardi team in 2001.
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