The limit for new teams to apply to join Formula 1 is over the weekend of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The FIA has been accepting applications from possible new Formula 1 teams since February. The deadline for applications is April 30.
The goal is to find a new team or two so that the sport can start up again in 2025 or 2026. The current Concorde Agreement, which lets up to 12 teams compete in F1, will end at the end of 2025. By 2026, a new Concorde Agreement will need to be worked out.
By June 30, the FIA will have made a choice about anyone who wants to join.
What teams have tried to join Formula One?
A team led by Michael Andretti and backed by General Motors’ Cadillac brand has officially applied to join Formula 1. The Andretti family has made it clear that they are ready to go as soon as 2024 if they get the go-ahead.
But Andretti is getting a lot of pushback from the rest of the F1 field, so Mario Andretti gave an exclusive interview to PlanetF1.com to talk about the situation.
“We’ve done everything “the system” has asked of us,” he said back in February, “including bringing General Motors, the largest US manufacturer.”
“A big company that makes things makes a long-term promise. We’ll have to talk about it, since it’s important news. If other people don’t say much, it might be because they don’t have anything interesting to say.All along, we’ve been told that if we have a maker, things will be different. So, GM should change the game. We’ll keep trying to get into Formula 1. Everything about it. We’ve done everything by the book for more than a year. We’ve met all the standards, brought in the manufacturer, and we’re excited.”
Hitech GP, the best youth team, is also thought to have sent in an official entry application.
Calvin Lo, a billionaire from Hong Kong, is also said to be interested in joining Formula 1, though it’s not clear if he wants to join a current team or start a new one.
Lo told PlanetF1.com in December 2022, “For any new team, Asia or anywhere else outside of Europe makes the pie bigger.”
“At least from where I stand, Asia wants more F1 races.” From what I’ve seen on TV, F1 alone has caused a 30–40% rise in users. Asia is a big market, so that’s a given.
“I think that makes everyone’s share of the pie bigger. It’s always better when different people join the F1 grid, right? I don’t care if it’s the best team or the worst team—just mix it up. Change it up a bit. It’s a good thing for everyone in the pit lane.”
“Most races are in Europe, and all of the smartest people who have been educated since they were young come from Europe. So any team ought to be there. You can see that a lot of the teams that used to play in other parts of the world went back to Europe, especially the UK. So, if I’m being honest, I think it has to be in Europe.”
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Craig Pollock, the former CEO of BAR, has also suggested that the company join a team project called “Formula Equal” starting in 2026. The goal is to hire a workforce that is 50% men and 50% women.
During the Australian GP weekend, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali talked to Sky Sports News about the end of the entry process. He said, “Some people want to be very vocal, and some people don’t.”F1’s current standing is shown by the fact that it is attracting new teams and investors. There is a process in place that is open and anyone can apply. In the first step, the FIA will do an analysis, and in the second step, the commercial [rights holders] will do it. In the third step, there will be a talk between the FIA and the commercial [rights holders]. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.It has nothing to do with competing against more than 10 teams. It’s not a problem; if it helps the championship in the medium to long run, it’s great. That is always brought up when we talk about this subject.”
Why is it hard for new teams to get in?
Existing teams have shown a lot of resistance because they would gain in the short term because the $200 million anti-dilution entry fee of the new teams would be split between them. However, the overall prize money fund would go down because there would be more teams.
Some of the teams want the entry fee to go up to $600 million, saying that they would be worse off otherwise and that the current rules don’t take into account how much the sport has grown in recent years. The new Concorde Agreement needs to be finalized for 2026 and beyond.
Brown told the Associated Press, “I think what’s become clear is that three or four teams are going to submit entries.” “I’d love for the grid to grow if the right rules were in place.”
Guenther Steiner, who is in charge of the Haas team, has been one of the most active people about making sure that new teams meet all of the requirements that F1 and the teams want.
“First of all, it’s not up to me or the teams to decide if an 11th team should join,” he told TopGear.com.
“At the end of the day, it’s up to the FIA. But in my view, you shouldn’t do something if you can’t see a benefit for everyone. Because then it would be a bad thing. If they don’t add anything to the party, they shouldn’t come.I mean, Formula 1 now has ten very good teams. There is no longer a bad team. There’s no one in the back. Since everyone has enough money, we don’t really need one. If someone comes and helps us, I think we would all be glad to see them. But if it’s just to have more teams for the sake of having more teams, I don’t see why I should vote for it if it means I’ll get less in the future?
“I don’t want to talk for the other teams, but I think their thoughts are pretty much the same. When it comes to the business side of F1, we are all in the same boat.”
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