Some of F1's existing 12 teams might bow out of Formula One before November's Abu Dhabi finale, Bernie Ecclestone claims.

"I think there are a couple of teams in Formula One who really shouldn't be there,” he said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. “They are a bit out of their depth at the moment." 

Losing two teams would drop the grid down to 20 cars, but the FIA is in the process evaluating potential new team entries for next year.

"All we ever want is 10 teams,” Ecclestone continued. “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 money to keep these (new) teams in. It has cost a lot of money to pay for them to compete."

It is likely the Briton is referring to HRT, who are now shuffling around drivers with the deepest pockets for the two race seats, and Virgin, whose main sponsor Sir Richard Branson said last year the team would have F1's smallest budget.

"The bottom line is they haven't really and truly given us value for being there," said Ecclestone. "If suddenly these teams don't turn up at races then I don't think the crowds will get any smaller, or the TV sets will turn off, or the newspapers will stop writing, will they?" 

Meanwhile, Ecclestone claims that Renault's health is ‘fine’ despite confirming the Enstone-based team requested the early payment of its 2010 commercial revenues.

Team boss Eric Boullier revealed at Hockenheim that even though he asked the F1 chief executive for the loan, the other teams did not agree to the release of the monies.

"All that was was the fact that one of the (Renault) shareholders didn't want to take money from another one of his companies because that would have meant convening a board meeting," Ecclestone said. “But I never gave them the money. And they got over the crisis so everything is fine.”