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Even if Porsche, Toyota, and Audi each put three cars on the market, would anyone be able to afford to buy and run them?
How big a team of engineers are necessary to integrate and adjust the various hybrid systems with the ICE for different tracks? How would privateers repair a damaged hybrid unit? Woiuld the factories be obliged to pay for big teams of engineers to work with the purchasing privateer teams?
Also until WEC actually offers sponsorship exposure, I don't see where teams would find the money to really be competitive with the factories.
Maybe a few millionaires wanting to cut their tax burdens could run teams out-of-pocket (or put the bill on the the corporate ledger to cut corporate taxes) but I don't see any billionaires getting involved, and that is really what it would take to be able to match the factories.
FIA-WEC would have to commit to giving privateers whatever breaks were necessary to compete, and that invites a host of problems.
Even if privateers were given all the fuel they could burn and had their weight cut, they couldn't match the intense development programs of the factories. But if they did--if the weight was 750 kg and fuel allotment let them make 1000 bhp--and if they could hire drivers who could handle that--then the factories would be upset about being beat by Rebellion or Muscle Milk.
If WEC got a lto more publicity, they might make the factories even less willing to get beat by privateers. Of course, it also might make factories more willing to tilt the odds by running customer teams--de facto factory teams under privateer banners. But that still freezes out the true privateers.
On the whole I don't see the money in P1 right now for privateers to make it.
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