F1 doesn't need car manufacturers to own teams, quite the contrary in fact. Car manufacturers are the very epitome of fair weather friends when it comes to F1. Ferrari are the only one who has stuck with the sport through thick and thin. Sure, the Old Man would throw a hissy fit from time-to-time and threaten to leave but he never followed through. Honda, Mercedes, Renault, Toyota, Ford and BMW have all had a go at team ownership and in every single case quit when the going got tough. Mercedes deserve some credit for sticking with the sport for the last 20 years but can anyone really see them going 20 years without a title and staying the course as Ferrari did? I certainly can't.

F1 needs the manufacturers to be involved on the engine side but that's it. Nobody suggests that Pirelli runs their own team and think the sport would be better off if the manufacturers would stick to supplying engines just as Pirelli do in supplying tyres.