A number of new teams could soon be appearing on the Formula One grid, according to the man behind BMW’s breakthrough to the top tier of the sport.

Mario Theissen said he understood several other road car manufacturers are actively considering following the German company’s lead. The BMW motorsport director believes Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche have all noted what BMW is achieving on a relatively low budget, and that Asian manufacturers could follow suit.

In only their second full season as a fully fledged F1 team, BMW go into today’s British Grand Prix lying second in the constructors’ championship, with driver Robert Kubica second in the drivers’ championship, and it is costing the German company “significantly” less than when they were simply supplying engines to the Williams team. They also employ far fewer people than the other leading teams, after buying the small, highly efficient Swiss-based Sauber team, and integrating it with their own engine-building operation.

Their success, and FIA chairman Max Mosley’s drive to lower costs and introduce technology that could have significant benefits for road cars, makes the sport increasingly attractive for manufacturers, said Dr Theissen.

“If the introduction of KERS [an engine system that stores and reuses energy] is successful next year, as I expect it to be, it will be the best case I have seen in 10 years in Formula One of a synergy with road cars,” he said. “Already my colleagues in the road car research and development department are knocking on our door.”

Ten teams currently race in Formula One. The Japanese team Super Aguri folded earlier this season, becoming the latest of more than 100 constructors to have come and gone over the past 60 years.

Mosley intends to cap costs, forcing teams to compete on more equal terms than is currently the case. BMW, for example, employs about 700 staff, while some teams have more than 1,000.

However, it remains to be seen whether BMW can continue to mix it with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. Despite only qualifying 10th fastest yesterday, Kubica has been arguably the driver of the season, scoring a series of unlikely podium finishes and winning in Canada. BMW had targeted a win this season but only expected to be challenging for the championship next season when regulation changes mean the cars will be very different to this year’s.

The bigger teams are already spending huge amounts of money developing those cars — Honda are rumoured to have four of their five wind tunnel facilities already concentrating on their 2009 design — but BMW’s unexpected success is forcing them to concentrate more effort on supporting Kubica and their other driver, Nick Heidfeld.

“Right now we are in a difficult situation because we have to run two programmes parallel,” admitted Theissen. “With another wind tunnel and aero department we would be much more comfortable, but you cannot take people on for three or four months and then go back to your original capacity.

“So we have to cope, we have to do both, we also have to push on our 2009 programme, but the team is used to it and I hope we can keep the efficiency we have and have a strong car next year as well.”

If they do, other manufacturers are likely to follow, and quickly.

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