It would seem that for Bernie Ecclestone, the ideal scenario would be that a manufacturer purchases Jaguar Racing, and that Jordan and Minardi sink without trace.

He must want it to be a manufacturer because his recent outbursts are unlikely to encourage Arden or other such outfits to want to consider F1 seriously.

With Jordan and Minardi gone, this would mean that the remaining teams, or at least some of them, would enter three cars, hoping and praying of course that the new Ferrari isn't as competitive at the F2004.

So who does Bernie want to see buying Jaguar? If not a privateer, maybe a manufacturer, but why would another manufacturer want to come into F1 having seen that Ford couldn't make it work?

And what of the last remaining privateer, Sauber?

In Bernie's ideal F1 there would be six or seven manufacturers all running three cars.

But what incentive is there for the manufacturers, how do they justify to their shareholders that they are spending countless millions to run three cars that are not winning anything, and unlikely ever to do so.

Just days after Ford reveals that it is pulling out of F1, it emerges that the manufacturing giant is toying with the idea of entering the World Touring Car Championship, which gets underway next year. Surely when thinking of buying a new motor, Dad will be more easily swayed by the manufacturer winning in Touring Cars than F1.

So we end up with just a couple of teams running half a dozen cars.

Will the last manufacturer to leave the paddock please remember to turn out the lights.