UNITED KINGDOM: Guenther Steiner, the team principal of Haas, the newest team on the grid, has rejected the idea of adding an 11th team to Formula 1.
Since Haas joined in 2016, the sport has become increasingly popular, and several potential teams hope to get their names included in the F1 teams’ roster.
According to Steiner, a new team would provide no benefit to existing constructors, only risk.
While there is reportedly a queue of potential teams hoping to enter F1, Steiner pointed out that most of the existing outfits are unwilling to see the entrance of a new team, with only McLaren and Alpine supporting Andretti Cadillac’s bid.
Steiner added that the ten existing teams are financially stable and well set up.
He also warned that if F1 takes the risk of adding an 11th team and the economy dips, some teams may need help to survive.
Although the number of teams on the F1 grid is not likely to increase, there will at least be one change in the names of the constructors, with Audi coming in place of Alfa Romeo after signing a works team agreement with Sauber.
Christian Horner, another team boss, suggested that Andretti’s best chance of securing an F1 spot would be to buy an existing team.
Horner explained that the lineage of most teams nowadays shows that buying an existing team is the way forward.
“There’s absolutely nothing against Andretti,” he said. However, he believes that Formula One should develop a criterion for 2026 that keeps the value of smaller teams and addresses the issue of who will pay for it.
Although there is an FIA Expression of Interest process, any team that meets the requirements set out by the FIA will still need to convince F1 of their merits.
The sport’s popularity has increased in recent years, with the number of fans growing worldwide, but the addition of a new team could strain the current teams, particularly if there is a dip in the economy.
The ten teams on the grid are already financially stable, and they are unwilling to risk their position in the sport.
The decision to add an 11th team to the grid is up to Formula 1. However, as it stands, there is no upside for the existing constructors.
The potential new teams will need to work hard to convince the FIA and existing teams that they have something to offer the sport and to mitigate any risk to the current teams.
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