As is so often the case, it’s all about the money. “If it reduces the income of the other ten (teams, note) then it would be like voting turkeys for Christmas,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner when asked about his vote. This means that if the existing teams are to forego part of the growing income, they want to be compensated for it.
The strongest among the previously known applicants is likely to be the American Michael Andretti with the project of the General Motors subsidiary Cadillac. A team called Formula Equal, which will be funded from the Gulf region and will be made up of half women and half men, has also been announced. In Asia, too, there should be at least one prospective customer for a new entry into Formula 1. The application period for the period from 2025 at the FIA expired in mid-May, and a decision should be made by the end of June.
Expansion as a major topic
It is already certain that Audi will start with its own team in 2026. But the car manufacturer takes over the Sauber racing team, which is now in Formula 1 as Alfa Romeo. Ford’s commitment as Red Bull’s future technology partner from 2026 onwards and Honda’s comeback bring more heavyweights from the automotive industry to the racing series, but do not change the current order of ten teams.
According to the basic agreement between Formula 1 and the FIA, there is space for up to twelve racing teams. World Federation boss Mohammed bin Sulajem recently pushed the expansion of the starting field and primarily supported the Andretti application. General Motors is “not just anyone who wants to have an adventure in Formula 1. We have to encourage something like that,” said the FIA President.
Newcomers should provide added value
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali hits the brakes. When the current basic contract was signed, “nobody expected that the value of this sport would increase so much,” said the Italian. The current bosses now see the $200 million agreed upon as an entry fee for each new team as a bargain. The protection payment would be distributed among the ten racing teams and is intended to compensate for their losses if the marketing income were to be shared among more participants in the future.
Formula 1 owner Liberty Media recently paid out 1.2 billion dollars to the teams, and the trend is clearly rising. The US owners have boosted the sales and value of the series and its teams. Nobody wants to settle for a smaller piece of the pie. “It would be beneficial for all of us if each newcomer could really add something new to the show, expand our audience or see to the investment of a lot of marketing dollars,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
“Where should the motorhomes go?”
His Haas colleague Günther Steiner is also worried about the cash situation. “Financially everyone is stable. Why should we rock the boat if there isn’t more in it for us,” said the South Tyrolean. You can’t use dreamers, warned McLaren boss Zak Brown.
However, the first decision on new registrations lies with the world association. Red Bull manager Horner therefore brings up a very practical argument: on racetracks like Monaco and Zandvoort there is no room for an eleventh team. “Where should the motorhomes go, where would there be room for the trucks? It would just be a very difficult thing to accommodate all of that, the way the sport has evolved,” said world champion Max Verstappen’s boss. At the classic in Monte Carlo, the parties to the dispute could already measure this weekend.
