F1: Marussia demise may not be the last, warns Max Mosley after team goes into administration

Marussia will miss the United States Grand Prix this weekend

Marussia mechanics and engineers stand behind Jules Bianchi's No 17 car in Sochi (Getty Images)

Max Mosley, the former FIA president, believes that Marussia, who will miss the United States Grand Prix this weekend after joining Caterham as the second Formula One team in four days to go into administration, “may not be the last” to struggle in the face of the sport’s high costs.

Sauber have made no secret of their problems while Force India owner Vijay Mallya was declared a “wilful defaulter” last month by state-run lender United Bank of India.

“It’s not a fair competition any more,” Mosley told BBC Radio 5 Live. “The big teams have so much more money.”

The 74-year-old, who led the sport’s governing body from 1993 and 2009, tried to introduce a cost cap five years ago but those plans fell through and similar proposals were also abandoned this year. “In the end, they [teams such as Caterham and Marussia] were bound to drop off – and they may not be the last,” he added. “The sport should split the money equally and then let the teams get as much sponsorship as they can.

“A team like Ferrari will always get more sponsorship than Marussia, but if they all get the same basic money, then they all start on a level playing field, particularly if you have a cost cap where you limit the amount of money each team is allowed to spend.”

Like Caterham, Marussia entered Formula One in 2010, but the sport’s costs have soared and their absence this weekend means only 18 cars will be on the grid, the smallest field since Monaco in 2005.

London-based administrators FRP Advisory said that Marussia would “continue to operate” but would not be on the grid in Austin, Texas.