Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has blasted newcomers Virgin and HRT, claiming they are "out of their depth".
He said they had added little to the F1 spectacle and would not be missed if they quit.
In an apparent reference to Virgin and HRT, Ecclestone said he would not be surprised if "one or two" teams did not make it to the end of this season.
He added: "I think there are a couple of teams in Formula One who really shouldn't be there. They are a bit out of their depth at the moment."
Ecclestone insisted F1 could easily survive with just ten teams rather than the 13 proposed for next year.
And he believes they should include Lotus, 2010's third new squad.
He said: "All we ever want is ten teams. Lotus is a good name - I wouldn't want to lose them.
"But in general this year has been a bit of a nuisance because it has cost a lot of money to pay for these teams to compete."
"The bottom line is they haven't really and truly given us value for being there."
If suddenly these teams don't turn up at races I don't think the crowds will get any smaller, or the TV sets will turn off, or the newspapers will stop writing.
