[Jody Barton]

If we were to consider every angle on every subject and consequentially effects Jody it would pretty much require a thesis to be written on every subject. This is a simple website with people who just love and understand the sport at differing levels of knowledge. Me personally I have a very basic understanding of the sport but I enjoy it immensely and I enjoy reading all viewpoints it enhances my fun!

I agree that there are differing levels of knowledge and understanding, no problem with that, but if that's the case you must allow those of us who have thought about this very topic for over 10 years now to put all of our thoughts down, and express our subtle opinions. I'm very, very rarely going to come down definitively in any camp, on almost any subject in F1, unless there is overwhelming evidence to support one side of an argument. For me there is far more subtlety to the sport than simply black or white, yes or no, night or day. 

I'm not a fan of the idea of B-teams, I'm just not, but if they are allowed to exist then having opposition to Mercedes or indeed Renault, who apparently have muttered that if the trend continues they might need to consider a B-team, is hypocritical. Given the current state of the finances in F1 I happen to think the only way a new team can come into the sport is via the backing of a manufacturer. It really is that simple. So on balance of argument, yeah, I'd be OK with a Mercedes B-team, as long as it brought two more cars to the grid, I'd still be OK with it if the B-team were a buy out of another team on the grid, because that's what has happened elsewhere, but I wouldn't be "happy" about it if you get what I mean.

Looking at it purely from Mercedes point of view, they will need to invest in a B-team, because the advantages Ferrari / Sauber and Red Bull / Toro Rosso will have going forward will be far too big for them to combat as a single team. Were I Toto I'd be pushing a Mercedes B-team onto the grid as soon as possible. You see, it's all about perspective. It's quite clear to me that the era of the "pure" garagistas (as Fog calls them) is absolutely coming to an end, and the nostalgic fool in me finds that sad, but it is clear we're entering the age of the manufacturers. Renaults progress as a team since coming back into the sport has been phenomenal. I can't see any other way for us to get teams into the sport, or for them to be competitive without the support of manufacturers.