[legion]

Uh-oh.

'Only 24 cars will be on the grid next year' - Planet-F1 News from planet-f1.com

Bernie Ecclestone believes there will be only 24 cars on the grid when the new season kicks off in Bahrain in the middle of March.

Nine of the 10 teams who raced in 2009, two of them under a new guise, plus four new teams - Lotus F1 Racing, Campos Meta 1, USF1 and Virgin Racing - have been handed slots for next year's World Championship.

According to The Times, Ecclestone is convinced that two of the new teams will drop out before the new season kicks off.

'The Formula One commercial rights-holder revealed that he expects two of the four new teams with sanctioned grid slots for next season - Campos F1 and USF1 - not to make it,' the paper reports.

'Ecclestone expects 24 cars to start the opening race in Bahrain in March.'

"I think the people we expected to perform will and those that we thought wouldn't, won't," he said.

Spanish-based Campos have already confirmed Bruno Senna as one of their drivers for next year, but USF1 are yet to reveal their line-up for the debut season.